


Scenes from the Boundless

by Spectrum27



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: Adventure, Attempt at a sitcom, Eventual Romance, F/M, Humor, No real set genre, Slice of Life, Weirdness
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2019-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-05 12:39:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 29,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13387989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spectrum27/pseuds/Spectrum27
Summary: In between missions, the smuggler ship Boundless and its’ crew still have things to handle. This is what they do when they’re not busy saving lives, mowing down mooks and hauling cargo.





	1. Surprise!

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I know, I got in SWTOR just recently, and I've been going through the smuggle storyline like a madman. But what really intrigued me was how your characters gradually gathers a crew over the course of the storyline. It's like introducing characters on a sitcom-- the potential for humor and drama and even romance is there.
> 
> The main thing I noticed, however, was the startling lack of fics with Risha/male smuggler as a relationship, let alone the primary one. It seems EVERYONE focuses on the female smuggler and Corso. So I'm taking advantage of an underserved market.
> 
> And I know, I've got two other ongoing fics, plus others in development. I get easily distracted and overwhelmed, so sue me.
> 
> And also, this fic disregards anything involving the three major SWTOR expansions (Cartel, Revan and Throne), since i'm a free player and I don't have the cash to afford the stuff. (Why can't they just make them into "Seasons" like Star Trek Online does, I'll never know.)
> 
> Anyway, here's the first chapter, taking place shortly after Risha has joined the smuggler crew.

I heard a chime over the intercom. “Prindrohi, get over to the engine room, now.” I knew that whenever Risha pinged me over the intercom, she wasn’t happy. And that was a fairly standard thing aboard the Boundless.

 

This girl was someone I picked up after I got my ship back from the slippery bastard Skavak. She wouldn’t tell me or Corso much about her life, and seemed to be stuck on “permanent sarcasm”. Thankfully, I knew how to dish it back at her. It could easily be a war of wits.

 

When I got to the engine room, I saw Risha next to an open access panel, emitting a little smoke cloud, and she was stained with ash all over her front. I struggled not to laugh.

 

“Alright, Prindrohi, do you know what I found in the engine here?” “I dunno, fuel?”

 

“Very funny. I found this.” And she held out something that I picked up. It was a canister of some kind. I unscrewed the top, and out fell a severed foot and hand!

 

“Aah! What the---?” So I got spooked. Wouldn’t you if you suddenly found a couple of severed body parts?

 

“Look, Risha, I’ve got no clue where this came from. I didn’t dismember anyone when I had this ship prior to Ord Mantell. This must’ve been Skavak’s doing. It seems up his alley to do something to piss me off.”

 

“Well, we’ve got to look in the other access panel then-- for all we know, there’s the rest of the body in there.” “Let’s hope not.”

 

Risha went and unlocked the panel, only for something to spring out and hit her in the face. It was a giant stuffed Ewok on a spring!

 

I couldn’t help myself, and I burst out laughing. Risha then took the Ewok off the spring and whacked me around with it. “Hey, quit it! I’m sorry for laughing--”

 

“You don’t realize that Skavak left us these to mess with us. It’s not a laughing matter. I’ve got go get parts to fix the engines, and a scanner, to see if he left us any other “presents”.”

 

She stormed out, still carrying the stuffed Ewok. Corso then came in, holding a datapad. “Uh, Captain?”

 

I turned to Corso. “You know how you said we’re in over our heads sometimes? I think I finally realize what you’re talking about.”


	2. How do you use this thing?

Prindrohi got back from Nar Shaddaa’s promenade area, returning to the ship, Bowdaar and Corso in tow. Ceetoo greeted him as usual, informing them about some minor glitch he fixed in the navicomputer. He waved him off, and headed to the main cargo hold. Corso activated the intercom, and Risha entered shortly after.

 

“Risha, we’ve got a new crewmember. Say hi to Bowdaar. He’s a wookiee we rescued from Drooga the Hutt.”

 

Bowdaar said something, but the crew’s translators took a few seconds to kick in. “Hello, there. I am honored to make your acquaintance, Miss Risha.”

 

“Uh, thanks. No need for formality.”

 

“Also, I stopped at an electronics shop and got everyone something.” He reached into his pockets and began handing out things to Risha, Corso and Bowdaar.

 

Risha looked at the object- a sleek, rectangular device with a screen- strangely. “So what is it? A mini-datapad?” “Better. CEC decided to expanded into the electronics sector, and this is their first market-ready device. They call it a MyComm. It blends together a datapad, a holocomm and a spot-on locator into one convenient device!”

 

Corso couldn’t believe it. “How could they fit all that into such a tiny case?”

 

“Years of experience into fitting tiny stuff in a starship hull translates well to this area of manufacturing. Just turn it on with the button on the top.”

 

The MyComms shortly began glowing, coming to life. Soon enough, the main screen appeared: a smattering of small icons, a clock (based on Coruscant Standard Time) and the latest weather report, against a space backdrop.

 

“So these babies are fully linked to the HoloNet, so you can constantly send and receive data between people; you can view holovids, music, scandocs and e-books, and you can make calls to people in either holocomm, video or voice. It’s weatherproof and durable, built to withstand a typical spacer lifestyle. And it can take pictures!”

 

Bowdaar looked at his own, a bit larger than the others’ due to his larger hands. “Can this do anything else?”

 

“Yep, you can download applications for either free, or a small cost. You can download apps to play games, shop at stores, handle financial stuff, get the latest news, and so much more! It’s incredible versatile and can get a signal practically anywhere.”

 

Prindrohi then activated the video-viewer app on his own MyComm, and the main holoprojector began glowing.

 

“What are you doing?”

 

“You can remotely control holoprojectors with your MyComm, too. Right now I’m streaming a holoadventure from Corellia called  _ Thunderbolts _ \- the story of a group of adventurers, gathered to defend the Republic from a bunch of ancient demons, intent on causing disasters, which the Thunderbolts actively attempt to prevent.”

 

The others began watching with interest, and they all gathered on the couch.

 

“You know, these things are the wave of the future.” Prindrohi thought-- just before receiving an incoming call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought it would be fun to see how characters in the Star Wars universe would react to using something similar to our smart devices, since they have to rely on three different devices for the functions one of our smartphones can handle.
> 
> MyComms themselves are pretty much iPhones, just made by CEC (Corellian Engineering Corporation), the primary supplier of starships for smugglers.
> 
> Thunderbolts is a dual reference- both to the famous British Supermarionation series Thunderbirds (though unlike most people, I love the 2004 movie they made based on it), and to Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue (and its' Japanese counterpart Rescue Squadron GoGoFive, which was heavily Thunderbirds-influenced). I figured somebody out there had to have made something similar.


	3. Sick Day

“Um, what’s with Bowdaar?”

 

Corso gestured to the Wookiee, who was curled up on the couch in the main hold, making noises. Every so often, he’d reach for a box of durasheet tissues, and blow his nose with them.

 

“He’s sick. Says it’s the Wookiee equivalent to the common cold. He says humans can’t catch it, but I’ve taken precautions, just in case.” Prindrohi then held up a small remote, and hit a button on it.

 

A forcefield then flickered into life around the couch, with a readout on the remote saying “Germ force field online”. “It’s a forcefield designed to kill any germs that Bowdaar has floating around him, just in case his cold can be transmitted to us. He’s fine with it, he realizes that we don’t have time to get sick, what with all that cargo we have to deliver.”

 

Risha then entered the room. “Speaking of, we’ve got to get that crate of caf mugs to the local Biscuit Baron. Prin?”

 

Prindrohi’s expression darkened, and he stalked off for the cockpit. “No, take Corso. I’ve gotta do some modifications to the navicomputer, it’s been running a little slow. Take the Rendelli speeder.”

 

Soon enough, Corso and Risha were on the surface of Berchest, speeding to the local Biscuit Baron, cargo in tow.

 

“So, why didn’t Prindrohi want to deliver this? It seems rather odd for him.”

 

Corso looked at Risha briefly. “You haven’t been with him as long as I have, so you’ve missed some stuff. One of which is that he hates Biscuit Baron.”

 

Risha looked surprised. “Really? Practically everybody I’ve met over the years likes it. Does his stomach not agree with it?”

 

“He once got a massive case of food poisoning from a QuickSnackLite, it turned out bantha droppings were all over that Biscuit Baron. He was laid up and hurling for two days. Another time, he got a cup of stimcaf that was so stimmed, his limbs were twitching uncontrollably and he couldn’t do anything productive that day.”

 

“Yikes. No wonder he hates it. I mean, everybody has something they hate about it. I hate their airspeeder lane speakers, you can’t hear anything on those things.”

 

“Tell me about it. One time the speaker was so shoddy, I swear the guy asked me to sever my leg, because “it’s the greatest day”. I gave up and ordered inside, but not before shooting that speaker.”

 

They pulled up to the Biscuit Baron and made the delivery. When they got back to the Boundless, they found Prindrohi curled up on his own bed, germ forcefield in place.

 

“Turns out, Wookiee colds are human-susceptible. I’m gonna be in here for a while. Corso, you fly the ship, alright. And don’t forget to take anti-cold medicine! That goes for you too, Risha!” He turned around and started hacking like crazy.

 

Risha and Corso then looked at each other. “We’re gonna need a lot of disinfectant.” “And gloves and masks, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Biscuit Baron is the SW universe equivalent to McDonalds and Burger King. I'm not sure if they existed this far back in the actual timeline, but hey, it's here for humor.
> 
> The crappy drive-thru speaker ordering Corso to sever his leg is a reference to the Drive-Thru Whale from Homestar Runner, where it popped up randomly one day and asked Strong Bad the same thing; it later was revealed to be the mascot of a fast-food joint called Blubb-O's.


	4. Down the Speeder Lane

As Prindrohi eased the Boundless into the repair station, he turned to Corso. “Now remember, we’re gonna have to be down on Kuat while they fix that recalled engine. Damn CEC engineers- they can master cargo hauling, but one big honking engine leak is all it takes for a recall.”

 

Prin continued to grumble as he, Corso, Risha and Bowdaar left on a shuttle for Kuat’s surface. (Ceetoo would be on the ship, serving as their eyes and ears while KDY engineers fixed the engine problems.)

 

Soon enough, the crew on the ground in Kuat City, capital of the planet that had made its’ name in starship design. But right now, Prin was just aimlessly walking around as he tried to see if there was any decent entertainment around on his MyComm.

 

“Captain, c’mon, there’s just about a billion cantinas here, just pick one!” “Corso, I want to avoid another incident. The last time you were in a cantina, you got drunk on something and started hurling tomatoes at the stand-up comic! And he was actually good!”

 

Corso looked to the side, clearly embarrassed. Then, Bowdaar spoke up. “Friends, I found a nice place!” He then activated his MyComm’s holoprojector, showing their location in Kuat City relative to the place he had found. “They call it The Hub, and it has great reviews. It serves only a limited amount of alcohol, but they have a wide selection of food. It should satisfy us while we wait!”

 

Risha agreed with Bowdaar. “Yeah, let’s give this place a try. I really don’t have any other ideas.”

 

\----

 

They arrived at The Hub. It was a relatively small place, not unlike a fast-food joint. Inside there were simple white walls, tables, an ordering window, and a line of hologames along the back wall. Beings from all over were chowing down or discussing something or other.

 

Prindrohi gave an approving nod. “Bowdaar, you did a good job of picking this time.” The crew proceeded inside and found a table. “I’ll go see what this place has on the menu.” Corso then headed for the ordering line, leaving Prin, Risha and Bowdaar at the table.

 

“So Risha, have you ever been to Kuat?” “No, actually. I mean, everybody’s heard of them because of their massive starship operations, but no. I still can’t believe that KDY has to fix our engines! Those are my engines!”

 

“Calm down, Risha. It was part of a trade agreement between KDY and CEC- they supplied engines as a limited test, and thanks to a design flaw they have to repair those engines. It’s bad luck, nothing more.”

 

Bowdaar then stretched out his limbs, nearly plastering a Quarren in the process. “Captain, after we eat, do you want to play one of those hologames?”

 

“Sure, Bow. I’d kick anyone’s ass on “Bacon Avenger”. Don’t break the eggs! Heh, heh.”

 

Risha just looked at him funny, but then Corso returned, food and drink in his hands. “Alright everybody, I got us some sliders, a basket of protato wedges, and some soda. Dig in!”

 

Everybody then began eating and drinking, and there wasn’t much to be said for the next few minutes. Once Corso finished his slider, he promptly took a swig of his soda, and let out a huge belch.

 

“Whoa! Sorry.”  Risha scowled at that. “So, aside from hologames, is there anything else to do here?” “I’ve heard there’s a museum of technology, maybe we can check that out.”

 

Prindrohi suddenly noticed something near the corner of the back wall. A blank space, with an electronic bulletin board hanging, suddenly opened up, and a blonde woman exited, an expression of bliss on her face, some smoke wafting from behind her before the secret door shut again.

 

“Uh, guys, did you see that?” He looked around the table, and noticed that everyone else had in fact seen it. He looked to Corso. “So, do you wanna investigate what’s going on?”

 

“Sure, let’s just finish our food first.”

 

After several minutes, everyone was finished, and Prin led them to the concealed door. He found a button on the underside of the bulletin board, and the door swung open, smoke again billowing out and into their faces.

 

“Whoo, what is that smell!” Risha couldn’t tell what that smell was, but it sure smelled odd. “Alright, be on your guard. For all we know, they might be burning some bodies down there.”

 

\----

 

The group then proceeded down a stone staircase, before emerging in something unusual. It was a stone-walled room, and it would’ve been rather gloomy looking had it not been for all the colorful electronic posters on the wall. People were everywhere, and music could be heard faintly. Snacks and drinks were strewn about. There were all sorts of unusual lamps, fixtures, toys and games, and objects all over, no real rhyme or reason attached to their placement. Some of those physical games were being played, even. The beings in the room were largely human, though some aliens were scattered here and there. There was a rather small vidscreen near the back of the room, with a table and four assorted chairs directly in front of it.

 

Prin and the others looked around warily. “Man, what’s going on down here?” Risha replied “Something illegal, that’s for sure.” “Yeah, but we do illegal stuff all the time.” Prin fired back.

 

Just then, a human with frizzy hair came up and handed them small oblong objects, wrapped in paper. “Welcome to the Basement-- where you can smoke canny in peace.”

 

Corso looked to the others, confused. “Canny? Have any of you guys heard of a canny?” Prin, Risha and Bowdaar just looked at him, equally confused.

 

“From the looks of it, you guys are spacers. Canny is the new drug here on Kuat. It was discovered about a year ago. It’s not like glitterstim or any other spice-- you don’t have to mine it. No danger. Instead, it’s a plant you harvest, roll up into these joints, and smoke. Simple, huh?”

 

Risha looked at the joint suspiciously. “But every drug has side effects. What are the side effects of this?”

 

“Well, you see things, see colors, things get distorted. Depending on how much you have or what species you are, the effects can vary. Some beings use canny to help get through the pain of ailments they have. But us down here in The Basement, we smoke in peace, away from the planetary peace-keepers. Since the Kuat government hasn’t decided what to classify canny as, the cops tend to bust anybody who smokes in public, at least around here.”

 

The four looked at the joints. Prin finally spoke up. “Well, we’ve got a lot of time before the Boundless is out of drydock, so why don’t we give this stuff a shot?”

 

\----

 

A few minutes later, the group was seated at the empty table, enjoying the canny. To put it bluntly, they were tripping.

 

Prin was laughing goofily. “Wow, that guy was right. This stuff  _ is _ good. We’ve gotta, like take some back with us.”

 

While under the influence, Prin had set up his MyComm to record this, just for the hell of it. The device promptly swiveled around as he passed the joint to Corso.

 

“You know, I’m glad I left Ord Mantell. That planet wasn’t a paradise at all. I hated it! It was where fun went to die in the endless junkyards. Heh, junk.”

 

He passed it along to Risha. “Hey, does anybody else realize that we’re still eating?” She held up a bag of protato crisps. “I thought we got food already!”

 

She passed the joint to Bowdaar. “I… I don’t know why, but I have this urge to shave all of my fur. It’s so hot with all this fur on me!”

 

Bow passed the joint back to Prin. “Well said there, my What-A-Wookie! Hey Risha, why did you bring that severed head in a jar and carbonite guy on board the Boundless? Those are creepy!”

 

Corso just giggled. “Dude, I was wondering that too! I mean, whose are those?”

 

Risha’s eyes darted back and forth, red and puffy. “That head I think belonged to some ancient warrior. And the guy in carbonite? He’s my dad.”

 

“What?” Prin yelled. “Why would you put your own dad in carbonite? Did he give you a curfew? Or did he say “No blasters in the house”?

 

Swaying, Risha looked down. “It’s because, um…. I can’t remember why. Maybe Bow knows.” “I don’t know who that frozen person is.”

 

Prin then looked at Risha. “Well you know what, I’ve been wanting to say this for a while. Risha, you are hot, and you know it.”

 

Corso looked at both Prin and Risha. “So the latent attraction finally manifested itself! Man, I'm using a lot of big words.”

 

Risha looked shell-shocked. “Wow, Prin. I didn’t know you had it in you. I actually think you’re kinda hot too.”

 

Just then, Bowdaar piped up. “Honor friends. I have a bad feeling--” Bowdaar then turned to the side and began puking up his lunch.

 

The others just looked in disgust. “I guess the canny is bad for Wookies. No more for him.” Corso said.

 

\-----

 

When Corso came to, he found himself on the floor of the main hold. He blearily opened his eyes, and found himself amongst a pile of snack food and datacards.

 

“Oh, Master Corso, you’re finally awake!” He saw Ceetoo, walking out from the hallway, carrying a basket filled with medical stuff.

 

“Ugh. Ceetoo, what happened? Last thing I remember is that Prin found a secret door at this fast-food place on Kuat, and then it’s… all kind of a blur.”

 

“You and the others partook in some illegal drug you called canny. The others are in the medbay. Bowdaar is still barfing sometimes, it seemed to have a particular adverse reaction.”

 

“What about Prin and Risha?” “They are in their bunks. Before he passed out, Prin gave me his MyComm, saying he had recorded a holo of you four.”

 

Curious, Corso took the MyComm and began playback. A few minutes later, he handed it back to Ceetoo. “Ceetoo, erase that video. I don’t think any of the others want to remember that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole chapter is essentially one giant shout out to That 70s Show, one of my favorite sitcoms. The Hub was a frequent hangout of the 70s gang, while the basement is of course, patterned after Eric Forman's basement. Canny is of course what we know as marijuana on Earth, though like T7S they never call it pot, though not for censorship reasons but simply because nobody would know what that meant.
> 
> I'm sowing the seeds of Prin and Risha's relationship, and at the same time, preventing it from escalating just yet. I thought it would be funny to have the crew acknowledge how creepy it actually was to have a severed head in a jar and a carbon-frozen person sitting around in the secondary hold. (I actually didn't realize it supposed to be a head in a jar until the mission that needed it-- I thought it was a lamp, as I couldn't see the head all that well).


	5. Trust in Me

I got to the navicomputer, setting it for a random hyperspace jump to somewhere, as me, Risha and Corso saw Nar Shaddaa recede as the stars stretched and transitioned into the blue tunnel of hyperspace.

I was exhausted, and reached over for the intercom. “Bow, Ceetoo, meet us in the cockpit.” Soon enough, they were there. “Alright everyone, we’ve got good news, and good news. First, we’ve got the treasures from the reliquary of Nok’s, including the crown. And even better, we finally killed that slippery Skavak. He won’t be causing us any trouble now.”

 

Corso whooped at that. “All right! Finally, we got that asswipe off our tail!” Then his expression changed to a serious one. “But wait, what about Rogun the Butcher?”

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll contact him later, hopefully he’ll be open to reason.” I sighed and turned to Bow. “We’re gonna be at Hosk Station in about--” I paused to check the navicomp readout “--eight hours, so Ceetoo, you’re in charge up here. Alert us if something goes wrong.”

 

Me, Risha, Corso and Bow all left the cockpit. As we exited into the main hold, I remembered something. “Oh, Corso, I found this on Skavak’s body.” It was his old blaster. Corso was ecstatic. “Torchy! Oh my god! You found him! I never thought I’d see him again!” Corso hugged me in celebration, then ran off to his quarters, yelling “Thanks, Prin!”

 

Risha was just looking at where Corso was standing with a weirded-out expression on her face. “Um, what just happened?” “It’s a long story, I’ll tell you later. For now, let’s head over to the galley, I’m starving.”

 

\----

 

A few minutes later, we were busy munching our way through a box of ChocoDiscs and gulping down blue milk to go with it- two of life’s simple pleasures.

 

“Prin, can I talk to you?”

 

I knew what this was gonna be about. “Risha, before you go blaming yourself--” “No, Prin, I’m not blaming myself for what happened on Nar Shaddaa. I’m not blaming you either. It… my father was one of the galaxy’s most notorious gangsters, he was frozen in carbonite for ten years, he didn’t know that I could have close allies. When he was at the peak of his power, pretty much everyone he knew except for me and my mother were either thugs, hangers-on, or trying to kill him. He never really had the benefit of having friends, like I have.”

 

She trailed off, looking forlorn. “Thanks to you, and Corso and Bow, I’ve learned the value of having friends. We’ve stuck by each other, even despite the multiple attempts on our lives by all sorts of disreputables. A lot of other people in this position would’ve abandoned you and left you for dead. But I didn’t. _I won’t_. You guys are the first people I’ve cared about in a long time.”

 

I walked over to her. “Rish, I know it seems unbelievable, but outside of the underworld, that’s how people operate. You grew up in it. I got in on the smuggling thing just a few years ago. I grew up with a sense of right and wrong. A lot of smugglers don’t have that. But I do, and I brought it with me.”

 

I sighed. “Look, Risha, I’m not entirely sure where you’re going with this conversation, but I want you to know this: wherever you go, we’ll be there for you. Because in situations like this, we stick together.” I held out my hand for a handshake, but Risha hugged me instead. Didn’t expect _that_. We held each other for a few seconds before she pulled away. “I want you to know, Prindrohi, that you are one of the very few people that I trust completely. And I’ll stick by you, too.”

 

Then, she gave me a quick peck on the cheek. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some planning to do regarding my future return to Dubrillion.” She left the galley, and just then Corso came in.

 

“Hey, Prin, just got a holo from Darmas Polloran, he needs to speak with us once we’re finished at Hosk Station… what’s up? You rarely smile like that.”

 

I smiled a lot, but rarely did have a big grin like I did right now. “Corso, it’s what happens when you affirm a friendship.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, a little less comedy and more semi-dramatic moments between our main pairing. I figured they had to have talked things out after Risha's dad disapproved of her friendship with the smuggler character in the game.
> 
> Next time, Akaavi Spar joins the crew.


	6. Culture Clash

Corso was busy repairing the range in the galley (damned thing seemed to have a mind of its’ own when it came to breaking down) when he heard the intercom chime. “All crew members to the main hold.” “Prin must’ve finished aiding the resistance down on Balmorra.”, he thought.

 

He got himself out from under the range, wiped the grease off himself, and headed for the main hold. When he got there, he found Prin, Risha and a Zabrak-- wait, Zabrak?!? “Prin, get down!”, he cried out in surprise; Bowdaar, meanwhile, readied his vibrosword at the apparent hostage-taker.

 

Prin, however, stepped in front of the woman, holding his arms out in panic. “Guys, guys wait! She’s on our side!” Corso and Bowdaar looked at each other, confused. “This is Akaavi Spar, and she’s our new ally. I decided to take her with us-- the Empire destroyed the rest of her clan. She’s not going to harm you.”

 

“Clan?” “Corso, she’s a Mandalorian.” Corso looked befuddled-- a Zabrak Mandalorian?!

 

For her part, Akaavi looked around the hold and did not have her weapon at the ready. “I must say, Mr. Prindrohi, your crew at least knows not to immediately dismiss me as not being a threat. Especially the Wookiee.”

 

Bowdaar roared. “I may not have ever fought a Mandalorian, but it it never too late to do so!” Risha went up to him, however, and took his vibrosword. “Bow, I’m keeping this until I say you can have it back.”

 

“Listen guys. She helped us take down the Empire forces on Balmorra, and she doesn’t have any others left of her clan. I offered to take her with us and let her join. We’re all she’s got. So let’s treat her like we do each other, with respect and only the occasional joke.”

 

Corso and Bow looked at each other, as if telepathically communicating with each other. Corso then stepped forward, hand outstretched. “Alright then, welcome to the _ Boundless _ . I’m Corso Riggs, first mate.”

 

Akaavi looked at him for a moment, then shook his hand. “Akaavi Spar, last member of Clan Spar.”

 

\----

 

Shortly afterwards, Prin and Corso took Akaavi on a tour of the ship. “And over here’s the hatches for the gun turrets. We don’t actually use them that often, we don’t really see much space combat.”

 

Akaavi looked surprised at this. “Really? I was under the impression that you constantly shot down Empire fighters and other troublemaking ships, when you are not shooting footsoldiers of the Empire or whatever organization you happen to be against.”

 

Corso just looked at her in disbelief. “That’s a stereotype. Admittedly we do get into a lot of battles, since we’re employed as Republic privateers, but even then we have to wait between assignments. We have to take on both legit and illegit cargo for delivery every which way, from the Core to Hutt Space. We’ve got a lot more free time on our hands than most people think.”

 

Just then, the intercom rang. “This is Ceetoo. Master Prindrohi, you have a holo from a client.” “Send it over to me.” He pulled out his MyComm and walked over to the main hold. “Yes, what can I smuggle for you today?”

 

Akaavi, confused, looked to Corso for clarification. “What was that square device he was using?”

 

“That’s a MyComm, we all have one. It’s the latest fad-- it’s a CEC device that you can use for just about anything. It can display holos, serve as a locator, a datapad and a HoloNet access device in one small case.”

 

“Hmmm, that sounds intriguing. So now instead of multiple bulky devices, you now just have one compact device?”

 

“Exactly, they’re portable and convenient. I think we actually have some spares, I can let you have one.”

 

They headed over to a storage locker, where Corso began to dig through. “No, no, that’s not it…” He pulled and tossed various items out of the locker, including an old datapad, an empty medkit, and a rubber mallet, before pulling out a small box. “Here we go, a new MyComm, ready for you.”

 

\----

 

A few minutes later, Akaavi was walking along the main corridor, exploring her MyComm, when suddenly a loud explosion sounded from the engine room. Akaavi rushed in to find Risha on the floor, covered in soot, one of the engine access panels embedded inside a bulkhead.

 

“Ugh, damn KDY engines. Ever since that recall they still haven’t been working completely. I swear, when I get my hands on the bureaucrat who authorized these things--”

 

Akaavi pulled the access panel out and handed to Risha. “Miss Drayen, do you need any sort of medical assistance? At least, you need to be wiped down.”

 

Risha just scoffed. “Trust me, Akaavi, when you’ve had enough experience in repairing sublights and hyperdrives as I have, we’ll talk. This is small fry compared to some of the other ship engines I’ve had to face. Why do you think I’m wearing this old outfit?”

 

Akaavi then noticed that Risha wasn’t wearing the semi-casual outfit she had worn on Balmorra. She was instead clad in a faded blue coverall, with a bandana covering her hair to prevent it from getting caught, and a pair of work boots.

 

“Well, Miss Risha, would you at least want some help in repairing these then?” “No thanks, I’ve got this covered. I think I have a plan for making this thing cooperate.”

 

\----

 

Hours later, the  _ Boundless _ landed on Carida to pick up some assorted droid parts and other mechanical stuff; while Ceetwo handled the transfer of cargo (even with the heavy freight elevator, it would still take at least an hour), the crew debarked from the  _ Boundless _ and headed through the spaceport. They found themselves sitting around a nice-looking fountain, killing time.

 

Akaavi sat back and watched as Prin and Corso vociferously debated over who was more likely to win the Naboo Swoop Open, the Tanabb Barnstormers or the Loronar Creatures; as the argument went on, she got up and began browsing the selection of shops along the concourse. 

 

“I believe I will need some new personal effects, considering I now have a permanent home. I will need credits, first.”

 

After a quick stop at a Galactic Trade kiosk to load her credit chip, Akaavi wandered the promenade shops. She couldn’t really figure out what to get, however. Mandalorian tradition dictated that the  vheh'yaim be equipped with only the necessities among fixtures. Given how the  _ Boundless _ was like a scaled-up, armed vheh'yaim, this meant that Akaavi didn’t have to be spartan constantly. 

 

She wandered around a store called “Woolco”, which seemed to sell most everything, at a reasonable price. “Perhaps some bedding, to start.” She soon emerged at the checkout with a whole cart full of things-- both practical, like tray tables, target dummies and spare power cells, to the unusual, such as a Mandalorian helmet replica that could be used to hide valuable objects (she had her own helmet, but this would be a useful trick in case any fools tried to hijack the ship and steal her things-- she could also set it to shock people in the immediate vicinity).

 

*bloop-bloop* That noise sent Akaavi reaching for her MyComm. On it was a message from Prin-- “Where are you?” She replied “At the Woolco, checking out. I will be on my way shortly.” After paying for all her things (and trying hard to resist the in-store cafe, the “Red Grille”-- they had uj'alayi there!), she headed back over to the fountain, where the others didn’t look pleased.

 

Risha stormed over, looking at her cart full of purchases. “Listen, I know you’ve just joined us, but you can’t just wander off like that! For all we knew, you may have been taken hostage, or Dubrillion knows what else! And… what is that cart full of?”

 

“My purchases from the establishment they call “Woolco”. Now that I have a permanent home aboard the Boundless, I found it necessary to buy furnishings and fixtures, as Mandalorian housing tends to be spartan and mobile.”

 

Prin then put his hand on Risha’s shoulder. He whispered something into her ear, and she backed off. “Alright, Akaavi. It’s just, we were busy debating and you just vanished. You aren’t alone anymore, you can’t just not tell us where you’re going. We stick together.”

 

Akaavi looked for a moment like she wanted to punch Prin in the gut. “Fine. But from here on out, you will respect my own independence.”

 

“Deal.”

 

\----

 

A few hours later,  the  _ Boundless _ was in hyperspace to deliver their cargo, but the action was in the main hold. For the furniture had been pushed aside to allow Akaavi and Bowdaar room to spar (no pun intended). The others (minus Ceetoo, who was in the cockpit) sat on the couch, awaiting the action.

 

Bowdaar roared. “Just because our captain has taken you in, does not mean I will go easy on you.” Akaavi, for her part, looked like she normally did-- focused and slightly angry. “And I will not underestimate you, Bowdaar.”

 

The holoprojector gave a countdown-- when it turned green, Bow and Akaavi rushed at each other, and the battle began! Bowdaar attempted a flip, but Akaavi escaped his grip and went for his legs, pulling them out from under him! Bow attempted a left hook, but Akaavi dodged and kicked him over. He activated his vibrosword, but Akaavi parried with her techstaff, and soon it was more of a duel than a brawl. The two locked their weapons together, not wanting the other to gain the higher ground.

 

Eventually, the 30-minute timer was up, and neither Bow or Akaavi had managed to budge from their 3-point tie. The others broke in applause at the conclusion. Akaavi was lying on the floor, breathing heavy from the exertion. Bow then offered his hand. She took it and rose up.

 

Prin walked over. “Gotta admit Akaavi, Bow gave you a real run for your credits there?” Akaavi looked to the Wookiee, who was chugging an energy drink to recharge. “Yes, he is indeed a worthy opponent. I will fight beside him if I ever should need to.”

 

Prin then extended his hand out. “Well, Akaavi, consider yourself officially a crew member of the Boundless.” She took his hand and shook it.


	7. Stimcaf Chat

The Boundless was currently on the Correlian Trade Spine to Kinyen, hauling a load of farming tools and other agricultural items. The crew was mainly hanging around their own separate sections, until Prin’s voice emitted from the intercom. “All hands to the main hold, all hands to the main hold.”

 

“Alright, everyone, I’ve got good news and bad news. Good news is, Darmas and Dodonna have hooked us up with our next mission, something about a cloaking device used by pirates.” Corso and Akaavi looked intrigued by this. “Bad news is, it’s on Hoth.” A collective groan went up from the crew on that. “C’mon, Captain, Hoth? Everybody in the galaxy hates that iceball!” Corso complained. “I do not believe that neither your Republic or the Empire has anything to gain from that planet. There is no strategic value.” Akaavi said. Bowdaar roared in displeasure. “I cannot stand the cold of that planet-- it makes my fur practically useless!”

 

“I know guys. Look, I hate Hoth as much as you, but if these White Maw pirates figure out how to use this cloaking device, it could be a serious thorn in the side of everyone: Republic, Empire, and unaligned. We’ve got to figure out a way to stop them from getting it. And word is it may have something to do with that crashed super-starship the Republic left there years ago. So break out your winter clothing, everybody. If you don’t have any, we’ll get some on Kinyen.”

 

\----

 

The crew disembarked and left Ceetoo to handle cargo loading as usual. But everybody scattered when they reached the spaceport. Soon, Prin and Risha were the only ones left.

 

“So, where did everyone else go off to?” Risha inquired as she and Prin sat down on a bench. Prin then began counting his fingers. “Let’s see, Corso wanted to go get some winter clothing for everyone, Bow went to find a vibroweapon repair station-- he said his vibrosword’s been acting up lately-- and Akaavi’s gone to stock up on rations. That just leaves the two of us.”

 

“Don’t you have any winter clothing?” Prin nodded. “Oh yeah, I’ve got some good winter protection. Got it from a place called Warriors’ Outfitters, they sell quality stuff. You have any winter gear?”

 

“Yeah, brought it with me, haven’t ever had to use it, though. But being a crime lord’s daughter taught me to be prepared for anything. I have a crate full of bug-out bags in the secondary hold.” Prin titled his head in confusion. "What's a bug-out bag?"

 

“Bug-out bags. Backpacks full of essential items in case we’re ever stranded somewhere. You didn’t know…?”

 

“I never check up there, I thought that was some of your stuff that you didn’t want anybody touching. Anyway, you wanna get some caf? There’s bound to be a cafe here somewhere.”

 

\----

 

Soon, Prin and Risha were settled in at a booth in a cozy little cafe. Prin had ordered a stimcaf with blue milk and a cheffa cake, Risha some Arkanian sweet milk and a Citros snow cake. Both were engaged in a deep, philosophical discussion.

 

“I’m just saying, why exactly are Corellian smugglers the stereotype? Why do they all come from that specific planet?” Before Risha could interrupt, he said “And I mean _besides_ the fact that CEC, the number one smuggler starship designer and manufacturer, is based on that planet.”

 

“Well, aren’t you from Corellia?” Risha countered. “No, I’m not.” Prin replied, taking a bite of his cheffa cake. Risha looked puzzled briefly. “But the Boundless is registered to Corellia, right?”

 

“Oh, no, that’s one of the aliases I use, the Early Riser. It’s a smuggling prerequisite, you have to have up to three aliases to use at any given time.” Taking a sip of his stimcaf, Prin continued. “Plus, I found the ship just lying around one day. And I mean that quite literally-- somebody just left it in my hometown. Nobody claimed it, there weren’t any dead bodies or booby traps anywhere, so I called dibs on it, and next thing I knew, I was smuggling weapons for whoever-- until the bastard Skavak stole it, leading me to Ord Mantell, Corso and, well, everything that’s happened since.”

 

Risha looked at him funny. “You just… found a starship laying around your town and took it? That didn’t strike you as being suspicious in any way? For all you knew, it could’ve been used by a gang of slavers!”

 

Prin just laughed. “Risha, I’m from _Chandrila_ . That type of stuff just doesn’t _happen_ there. The planet might be one of the safest, but it’s also one of the most _boring_. “ “You’re from Chandrila. The planet that’s all about democracy.” “Yep.”

 

Risha took a moment to ponder this. “I think I know why you’re so soft-hearted. You’re from one of the _wussiest_ planets in the galaxy.” Prin-- just having swallowed his stimcaf-- broke down in laughter. After recovering, he looked at Risha, eyes seemingly sparkling. “You know, Risha, I love it when you lob insults like that-- bitingly funny and yet right on the credits.” “Well thank you, I’ve spent years sharpening my snark.”

 

Suddenly, Prin’s MyComm buzzed. He fished it out and looked at the screen. “Oh, HoloNet News Alert.” He went silent briefly as he read the bulletin, then plonked his device on the table dramatically. “And the unions strike again. Literally. The Coruscanti Contractors’ Association has gone on a strike for increased benefits.”

 

Risha looked worried for a second. “If this strike continues past two weeks, I guarantee you that Coruscant will come to a complete halt. That union’s repairs are practically keeping the planet together.”

 

\----

 

“Alright, everybody, we’ve got everything we need for Hoth. Winter clothing, heat generators, self-warming rations, and lots more. Let’s head back to the ship.” Corso led the group through the main thoroughfare of the spaceport, their purchases in hovercarts. Bowdaar then realized something. “Where are Prindrohi and Risha? We cannot leave them behind.” “Don’t worry, Bow, they’re probably back at the ship.” But when they got back to the hangar, they weren’t there, though Ceetoo was.

 

“Greetings, Master Corso. We have unloaded our shipment of agricultural supplies and have received payment for them--” “Have you seen Prin, or Risha?” Ceetoo took a second to search his memory banks. “No, not since you debarked here.” Corso then turned to the others. “Alright, search the market area, they’re bound to be somewhere…” Corso trailed off suddenly. The others turned and saw something they’d thought was impossible.

 

It was Prindrohi and Risha, casually walking into the hangar and chatting about something, as if they were acquaintances catching up, rather than business partners. Prin laughed and they could hear the tail-end of his train of thought. “...if anybody was ever foolish enough to construct something like that, the union would probably be holding it up for years, maybe decades!” He threw his hands up in the air to emphasize his point to Risha, who began giggling. “Now I’m not even sure that… oh, hey guys. The cargo all delivered, Ceetoo?”

 

Ceetoo nodded, and Prin gave a thumbs-up. “OK, guys, you got everything for Hoth?” A chorus of affirmations came from the others. “Alright, then let’s get on board. Per the navicomp, it’s gonna take about 6 hours to get to Hoth, so enjoy the heat while it lasts. Now let’s get moving!”

 

\----

 

Once they were in hyperspace, Prin moved to exit the cockpit, but Corso stopped him. “Captain, could I talk to you for a second?” “Sure, what’s the matter?”

 

Corso hesitated, then spoke. “Prin, were you and Risha on a date?” Prindrohi looked for a brief moment like he wanted to hide under a rock, but quickly covered it up with his normal passive face. “No, me and Risha were just whiling away the time at a cafe. It wasn’t a date.” Corso thought for a moment. “Sure, whatever you say boss. I’ve gotta go calibrate the missile launchers.” As he left the cockpit, Corso thought “Man, Prin’s got it _bad_ for Risha.”

 

Turning his chair to face the viewport, Prin just watched hyperspace fly by for a few moments. “I can’t keep lying to myself. I think Risha’s the girl I’ve been waiting for.”

 

Meanwhile, Akaavi entered the engine room. Risha was checking the readouts and comparing the engines’ individual performance. “Miss Drayen, I must speak to you.” Risha turned around. “What is it, Akaavi?”

 

Akaavi looked around furtively. “I am not entirely sure how to phrase this, so I will say it outright: are you and Captain Prindrohi in a relationship?” Risha, flustered, dropped her coil spanner. “What? No, we-we’re not! We weren’t on a date, we were just at the cafe because there wasn’t anything else to do. That’s it.”

 

Akaavi looked impassively at her, then turned to leave. “A word of advice, Miss Drayen-- if you indeed having feelings for our captain, I would suggest you make up your mind about them. In this line of work, lives can end very quickly.” She then left, leaving Risha with her thoughts. “Maybe I should own up to my feelings for that compassionate fool. But after Hoth.”


	8. Calamari, anyone?

“Corso, remind me to tell Senator Dodonna that we are going to stay away from Hoth for the rest of our lives.” “Sure, boss.”

 

As they boarded the _Boundless_ , they shook off all the snow that they were coated in; thankfully the shuttle from Hoth to the orbital station was heated. Their new… um… “friend” was expounding about it.

 

“Mr. Drohi, I can’t believe how great the heat is in here. I’m surprised I didn’t freeze completely on that stupid planet!” As Guss Tuno continued, Corso leaned in towards Prin. “Just say the word, and I can toss him out an airlock, no problem.” Prin slugged Corso in the arm. “No, Corso. I told him I’d give him a chance. Besides, you were complaining too.” “Yeah, but I just muttered under my breath the whole time.”

 

Prin hit the intercom switch. “Crew meeting, main hold.” Everyone quickly assembled, and Prin stood in front of the main holoprojector. “Alright everyone, good job, managing to survive that frozen wasteland. And now that we’ve tracked down the stealth module-- which, as it turns out, was a poor kid who didn’t even know what he was doing-- we don’t have any more work here.” A large cheer came up from the crew. “Now, we have a new member of our crew-- he’s, well… he’s hard to describe, but everyone, welcome Guss Tuno.” The Mon Calamarian walked out and waved at everyone. “Um, hi there. I’m Guss and I want to say how great it is that Mr. Drohi here gave me a chance. I’m going to redeem myself here, and I’m not going to be a conman anymore.”

 

Silence followed. “Uh, okay, Guss. Corso, why don’t you show him to the bunk room.” Prin then ushered him down the hall. The others were just staring blankly at him, as if they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

 

Risha was the first to break the awkward silence. “Prin, where did you find him? Did he just tag along?” “No, he helped us against the White Maw, and well… I felt sorry for him. I couldn’t just leave him there, nobody deserves to be left on Hoth.” Akaavi snorted. “I can sense he has no honor, or fighting capabilities. He is weak, and useless.” Bowdaar, meanwhile, tried to be impartial. “I will let his actions judge for me.”

 

Prin sighed and leaned against the console next to the cockpit corridor. “Listen, he said he was disowned by his family, he washed out of the Jedi Academy--” Bowdaar made a noise of astonishment- “and he did give us legitimate help. For all we know, he has skills that not even he knows he have. I’ll tell you what-- we’ll give him a week, and if things aren’t working out, we’ll drop him off somewhere. Anyway, we’re going to Port Nowhere, Darmas called, said he had something for us.”

 

\----

 

Guss was unpacking his things and looked around the bunk room. Basically, every crew member had staked out a corner (except Risha, she slept in the secondary hold, where her “office” was), and Guss was left with the furthest one. He started setting up his personal effects, while Corso was busy showing him where everything was, including the common storage locker.

 

“And over here Guss, this is the refresher-- we’ve got a sonic shower with a water hookup, so whenever we land in a spaceport or the like you can use water; given how you’re a Mon Calamari I’d think you’ll appreciate-- what are you doing?!”

 

While he was talking, Guss had unpacked his old lightsaber, and was preparing to plug it into a power socket on the wall. “Maybe if I plug it into the ship, that’ll get this old thing working.” “No, don’t!”

 

Too late, as Guss plugged the power cord into the lightsaber. The crystal glowed for a brief moment, before the saber electrocuted Guss.

 

_“Dgdgdgdgddahhh”_

 

It was over after a few seconds, leaving Guss on the floor, charred, and Corso with his hair on end. Guss coughed and said weakly, “I guess that wasn’t such a good idea.”

 

\----

 

The next day, Guss was in the galley (having recovered from his near deep-fry experience), rooting around through the cabinets, looking for something seaweedy. Rummaging through, he couldn’t find anything. “Hmm, better head for the fridge.”

 

He began looking through the fridge, and while he didn’t find any seaweed-based dishes, he did find a container of what looked to be stew of some kind. “Ooh, this looks good!” He heated it up in the processor and dug in. Just then, Bowdaar walked in. “Oh hello, Mr. Guss-- what is that you are eating?” Guss paused-- that tone of voice didn’t sit well.

 

“Um, this stew I found in the fridge. Want some?”

 

Bowdaar took it from him roughly, splashing Guss with some of the stuff. “This was my personal bantha stew.” “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see a note anywhere.” Bow sighed.

 

\----

 

Later, Guss was in the lounge, watching a holodrama, when suddenly he felt a rumbling from within himself. “Uh-oh, that stew must not’ve-- _oh!_ ” Clutching his gut, Guss ran for the bunk room. He hurriedly hit the button to open the refresher door and ran inside-- not noticing that Akaavi was there, in a towel. He heard her scream, and then found himself flat on his back. “Oh, I’m sorry Miss Spar--” “Get out, get out, GET OUT!” Guss hauled himself up and ran. Pausing out in the hallway, he caught his breath. “I didn’t expect that at all. But I think Mr. Drohi’s room has a refresher.”

 

\----

 

Soon enough, everybody except Guss was crowded into the cockpit, complaining to Prin (while Corso was handling the piloting-- they were reverting to realspace temporarily as the hyperdrive needed to cool off a bit, after the upgrades Risha made it tended to run a bit hot on long journeys). The noise got overbearing, so Corso whistled to break it. “Thank you, Corso. Now, everybody go, one at a time.”

 

“He fried the bunk room’s power socket, trying to get his lightsaber to work.”

 

“He was eating my bantha stew, the one that I made!”

 

“That worm saw me, without my armor, or any clothing on. If I hadn’t had that towel…”

 

“Prin, just admit it, you gave it a shot, can we just get rid of him already?”

 

Prin sighed. “OK, so maybe he isn’t going to work out. But he’s new here, and--”

 

_“dootdootdootdootdoot”_

 

Suddenly, Prin was cut off by the proximity alert. He promptly turned to the radar, which showed a bunch of hostiles heading towards their position. “Corso, charge up shields, we got trouble!” Everybody looked out the viewports, and all around the ship were _Fury-class_ Imperial interceptors!

 

“Attention, spacecraft. You have entered a restricted Imperial system. Leave now, or suffer the consequences.”

 

Prin promptly activated the commlink. “This isn’t Imperial space, this is a neutral hyperlane! What gives you the right to-- hello? Damn, they cut the line.” Prin then smacked a button, turning on the red alert mode. He could see that the Imps were charging their weaponry, so he did the same.

 

Prin turned to the others and began issuing orders. “Risha, get to the engines. Akaavi, start strapping down the cargo so it doesn’t get damaged. Bowdaar, you and Corso--” A laser blast rocked the ship, and Corso was flung out of his seat, bashing his head against the bulkhead. “Corso! Dammit, he’s out cold!”

 

Then, Guss came running into the cockpit. “Mr. Drohi, what’s going on? Are we under attack?” “Yes! Look, since Corso’s been knocked out, I’ve gotta steer, so it’s up to Bowdaar and you to handle the turrets!” “M-me? Turret duty? No way, Mr. Drohi, I can barely shoot a normal laser gun, I can’t--” “We don’t have a choice, get to the turret hatches!”

 

Bowdaar grabbed a shaking Guss and hauled him over to the turret access hatch, and quickly unlocked them. “Alright, Mr. Tuno. I will take the top hatch, you take the bottom. We must put a stop to these Imperial irritants before something worse happens.” Guss, though still looking scared, gave a nod. He dropped into the turret, feeling a bit disoriented from the sudden change in pressure.

 

“Alright Guss, I’m gonna have to give you a crash course in starship weaponry over the commlink. Simply take the control grips and hit the red buttons to fire lasers. As you track a target, the turret will swivel around. Good luck.”

 

“Sure thing, Mr, Drohi.” Guss gripped the control and aimed himself towards the nearest Imp. He hit the buttons, and red laser fire lanced out from the cannons in front of him. They hit the target, causing damage to the Imp’s starboard cannon. Mini-explosions began dotting the ship’s surface. “Whoa! I didn’t mean to do that!”

 

Prin cut in. “No Guss, what you did was better than that! These types of ships are notorious for linking all their weapons directly to their power cores for added firepower, and it looks like you did a number on it! Switch to missiles!”

 

As the ship barrel-rolled past two other Imps, Guss hit a button on his left, and a targeting screen flicked on in front of him, displaying the feed from the _Boundless_ ’ port turret. It was tracking the damaged ship, which was still aiming for them. “Guss, you’ve got a lock, fire now!” Guss’ eyes narrowed. He hit the button, and a pair of missiles sailed across the void. They impacted against the Imp, and that did it-- the ship blew apart into a cloud of debris. “Alright, Guss!”

 

“Wow, thanks, captain!” “No time for pleasantries, we’ve got more incoming!” Risha reported from the engine room. “And aft shields are down to 75%, so lock and blast, quickly!” Guss turned around, and found his mark-- the second Imp ship, and its’ dorsal cannon. “Here I go!” He mashed the firing button, and more red lasers emitted, blowing up the Imp’s turret, causing another chain reaction! The Imp began listing to starboard, and was out of the fight.

 

Bowdaar roared in triumph. “Good work, Guss! Now, let us achieve victory, for there are two more left. If we concentrate our firepower, we can send them back to Dromund Kaas with their caps askew!” Guss wasn’t feeling so hot, but he turned around one more time. But before either of them could fire, the Imps fired on the engines! The ship rocked again, and this time, it seemed to affect everyone, including Guss. Sparks flew from some of the instruments. “Oh, my stomach isn’t feeling well again, but I’ve gotta concentrate!”

 

Guss could suddenly feel everything but himself fade away. Vaguely, he could hear Prin shouting something to Risha over the commlink. Guss concentrated, and fired at the last Imp ship. A volley of lasers brought their shields down. He switched to missiles, and two rocketed away. He saw the missiles hit their mark, and the Imp ship was reduced to scrap metal. “Whoa, I’ve never had that happen before. It’s what they called…. a state of detachment.”

 

He shook it off and exited the turret, when Bowdaar stopped him. “Guss Tuno, you have a gift. You decimated those Imperial ships! I knew you had something--” Suddenly, Prin rushed past them in a state of panic. “What the-” “If Prindrohi is worried, then that means something terrible has happened. Come on!”

 

\----

 

Everyone (including Corso, who had been awakened by the blast to the engines) followed Prin down the hall to the engine room, and the sight shocked them all-- Risha, unconscious, bleeding like crazy, metal having impaled her shoulder, her leg contorted in a bad position. Corso screamed in horror. Prin, deadly serious, turned to Akaavi. “Medbay, now! Corso, start trying to get the engines back up!” They headed for the medbay, where Ceetoo was waiting. “Oh my, Master Risha! What happened!”

 

Sitting her up on the biobed, Prin activated the medicomp and it scanned her. “The Imps hit the engines, debris must’ve got her. She’s out cold!” Guss suddenly felt himself slipping away, and he reached for a medkit. He took out the laser scalpel, and began cutting the metal rod out of Risha’s shoulder joint… he only remembered bits and pieces of the next few minutes, seemingly on autopilot as he performed the delicate surgery. Once he finished there, he moved on to her twisted knee; after getting her into an improvised cast made from an old coil casing, they ran over to the kolto tank.

 

Setting it up, they lifted Risha up as Ceetoo hooked up the breath mask. Soon she was submerged in the healing liquid. Guss snapped out of his trance. “Uh, what just happened?” He turned to Prin, a look of shock on the latter’s face. “You-you don’t remember the last 20 minutes at all?” “No, it’s all a blur. I felt like someone else was operating my body remotely.”

 

Prin took hold of him. “Listen Guss. You just saved Risha’s life, and destroyed a couple of Imp ships without blinking. I think you’re more powerful in the Force than you realized.” Guss just sat down, the reality of what he did sinking in. “Guss, your actions over the past hour have made you officially part of our crew.” Prin stuck out his hand. “Welcome aboard.”

 

Guss shook his hand, and turned towards Risha in the kolto tank. “According to the readout, she’ll be in there for at least three days.” Prin nodded. He turned to Akaavi. “Check on Corso, see how much progress he’s made on the engines. Ceetoo, you keep watch on Risha round-the-clock. I’m gonna have to holo Darmas, tell him we’re gonna be a bit late to Port Nowhere.”

 

As Prin left, Akaavi turned to Guss. “Before this, I thought you had no honor. But now Guss Tuno, it become clear you _do_ have it. We just needed to locate it. And we found your areas of expertise at the same time. Where exactly did you learn such precision healing and targeting?”

 

Guss looked to the other wall. “I think it was my training from the Jedi Master who found me. Lorenn taught me when I was starting out that she thought I’d be good as a medic, and she trained me in both medpacs and medkits. I know how to use advanced medkits, even. She told me that no matter where I was, even if I wasn’t a Jedi, that someone was going to need medical assistance, and I took it to heart. Even when I was a con man, whenever somebody got injured in a barfight or brawl, I’d treat them-- admittedly I asked for payment, but I made sure that their wounds were healed and they weren’t going to have to deal with infections or Force-knows what else. I took it seriously, unlike a lot of other things in my life.”

 

Akaavi simply nodded. “Now, you have a role here. You might be able to redeem for your past actions. But I did not forget the incident in the refresher-- if you do that again, I will kill you.” She then left for the engine room, leaving Guss alone with his changed worldview.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I know in-game Guss is essentially a loser who you take under your wing because you're feeling sorry for him, but I decided that he had to have some redeeming abilities (partially to justify why you let him hang around afterwards) and plus, I thought the idea of Guss becoming a badass medic was pretty cool. As for his trances, they were Force-induced, no explanation otherwise needed.
> 
> And Risha's injuries will heavily influence the events of the next chapter....


	9. Revelations

“It’s been 3 days, can we get her out of there?”, a frustrated Prin asked Guss and Ceetoo.

 

“Actually Mr. Drohi, I think we can.” Prin had been on edge the last three days-- they’d made it to Port Nowhere and were staying put while Risha recuperated, Prin not wanting to risk the kolto tank being damaged in battle somehow.

 

“Well then, let’s get her out of there. C’mon!” Prin and Guss then began draining the kolto tank (Port Nowhere had link-up tubes to dispose of used kolto, thankfully) while Ceetoo prepped the biobed.

 

Soon enough, Risha was on the bed, still knocked out but breathing without the mask. Prin could just see a faint scar where the metal had been. Guss hooked her up to the medicomp as Ceetoo toweled the last of the kolto off her.

 

A few minutes later, Risha came to. “Ughhh… what in the hell happened? Prin, why am I in the medbay?”

 

“We were fighting Imps when they decided to blast the engines. A piece of metal impaled your shoulder and the blast knocked you unconscious. And Guss here saved your life, turned out he has a knack for medical procedures. And blasting Imps in the turret, for that matter.”

 

Risha looked at him like he was suddenly a Tusken Raider. “Guss, the Jedi washout you picked up on Hoth, saved my life?” Guss suddenly appeared with a scanner, startling her. “Yes, I did. Now, I managed to replace the bit of your shoulder the metal impaled with a synth-replacement, but your shoulder is still healing, you’ll need to have bedrest for the next few days, Miss Risha. No going off the ship, no engine repair, no blasting.” She looked at Guss like she wanted to simultaneously blast him and hug him. “Thank you Guss. For saving me.” She turned to Ceetoo. “Ceetoo, can you and Guss leave. I want to talk with Prin in private.”

 

“Certainly, Master Risha, and it is good to see you awakened and in the peak of--” He was cut off as Guss ushered him out of the medbay.

 

\----

 

Once the door sealed, Prin turned towards the kolto tank. “You were in here for three days, your leg was all bent and we had to use an old coil casing for a cast. We’ve been here at Port Nowhere, Corso and I have been fixing the engines as best we can-- the modifications you installed made it tricky for us-- and we’ve got our next mission from Darmas. We’ve gotta infiltrate an Imperial treasure vessel, one of Darma’s associates has his partner stuck there.”

 

“Alright. But since I can’t exactly--” “I’m taking Corso and Bow with me when we go and invade that ship. But we need to talk about… something else.”

 

Risha knew where this conversation was headed. “Before you start Prin… there’s something I want to tell you.” She sighed, feeling a twinge of pain from her shoulder.

 

“Over these past few months, how we’ve been working together, thrown into one crazy adventure after the next… it’s changed me. I’ve realized that I can’t just work on my own anymore. I’ve gotten too used to having you, Bowdaar, Corso and the others around to go off alone. My only friend from when I was with my father was Vette, and after my father went into the carbon freeze, I had to lose contact with her. Ever since it was just me. Sure, there were friends like Audila and Beryl, but I always had to make sure my time with them was limited, for their own safety. Skavak came along, claiming he could assist me in finding my father’s treasure. I’d fallen into his slimy grasp like so many others. Then… you burst in. You took back your ship, started flinging my sarcasm right back at me, and clued me in to something I lacked. _Friendship._ I’d forgotten what it was like to... open up my shell, be unafraid to be myself in front of others. Because you’d be all over anyone who tried to stop me and my dreams of reclaiming my birthright. And I came to realize something-- I’ve been growing so close to you, and I’m not sure but…” Risha trailed off, seemingly afraid of what to say next.

 

Prin sighed and came closer to her. “Risha, when I found you in the cargo hold, I thought that I’d just be dropping you off after a few weeks, or until we found Skavak, whichever came first. But you grew on me as you stuck with us. You found your way into our weird little family. And eventually, you got your family heirlooms back, and I sent Skavak to hell. But you stuck around after, because… well, you might be afraid to admit it, but I’m not. Risha. I love you.”

 

Risha looked thunderstruck. “I… love you too, Prindrohi.” They leaned forward and tenderly kissed-- the sparks of passion ignited after having been slowly smoldering. Then Risha’s shoulder flared up again. “Ooh, forgot about that.” “Don’t worry Risha, as long as we’re together, I swear that I’m not gonna let you get injured like that again.”

 

“Thank you, Prin.”

 

\----

 

A few minutes later, Prin and Risha exited the medbay, arm in arm (partially to help Risha’s shoulder). As they emerged into the lounge, they found Guss messing around with the holoprojector and Corso aiding him. “Alright, Guss, let’s see if we can make a hologram be a color other than glowing blue-- oh, Cap’n. Risha.”

 

“Hey there, farmboy. Good to see you recovered too.” “Well, I’m an Ord Mantellian. We’ve got hard heads.” Risha smiled a bit at that.

 

“So, Cap’n, are you and Risha…?” “Yep, we’re together now. And I’m not gonna let anything get between us, be it injury, another person, or, Force-forbid, the Republic/Empire war since it’s a given at this point.”

 

Bowdaar clapped. “That is terrific news! I vow to protect you and your future offspring!” Akaavi nodded, a rare smile on her face. “Good to see you followed my advice, Miss Drayen. I too will protect you and Captain Prindrohi if and when the time comes for us to face off against those looking to dishonor us.” As for Corso, he looked gleeful. “All right, everybody pay up!”

 

Bow, Guss and Akaavi promptly handed over credit ingots to Corso, who pocketed them. “We had a secret betting pool running over when you two would get together. I was the longshot bet with “after injury”. So I just won. For once, the farmboy’s coming out on top.”

 

Prin and Risha just looked at each other. “Risha, these are our friends. You do realize we’re stuck with them.” Risha just kissed him softly. “I know. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”


	10. Uneasy Alliance

A week or two later, the crew of the Boundless found themselves on Fadden, loading up the ship with their latest delivery: lots of dehydrated dinners and other survival equipment. While Ceetoo kept track of what pallets and crates went where, Corso, Bowdaar and Akaavi were moving it all over the ship-- an unusually large haul even by their standards, it was taking forever to get it all onboard.

 

“Ugh, I’ll tell ya Cap’n, I hope whoever we’re delivering this to appreciates all the effort we’ve been putting in.” Corso wiped his brow and took a swig from his water bottle. “I think this might be a record for how much stuff we’re transporting.” Bowdaar, nearby cleaning up a crate that had ruptured somehow, was looking none the worse for wear. “I appreciate the work. Ever since we took down the King’s Ransom, we have been waiting on the permits for travel to Voss. And I am unsure if we would survive a trip to Belsavis, I have heard rumors and legends about that planet, all of them awful.”

 

Prin, busy stashing a crate in one of the hidden smuggling compartments (albeit simply to maximize storage space), had a sour look on his face. “Yeah, I’ve heard the stories too. And I’m not looking forward to that trip, either. But if we’re gonna find Rogun, and eventually the Voidwolf, we’re gonna have to go there. Senator’s orders.”

 

Akaavi, meanwhile, was not looking remotely tired by her lugging of the assorted containers. She turned to look at Corso. “Even I have heard the legends of Belsavis, and if they do turn out to be true, we may be looking at yet another Republic failure.”

 

Corso scowled at her, but before he could respond, Ceetoo interrupted. “I am pleased to report that all cargo is now onboard.” “Boy, that’s a relief. C’mon, Prin, let’s get out of here already.”

 

As he and Prin headed into the cockpit, Prin sighed. “Yeah, Corso, the sooner we get all this stuff delivered, the better. It’s for some merchant on Andara, we’ll be landing directly at his place of business as opposed to the spaceport.”

 

\----

 

Once the navicomp figured in the additional weight, it calculated a 4-hour trip to Andara. With Prin and Risha in the cockpit (most likely making out, now that Risha’s shoulder was healing up nicely), Corso wandered out to the main hold. “I’m betting that this’ll be the year for the Ord-Cestus swoop team, they’ve been gradually building up a winning crew.” As Guss and Bowdaar debated swoop racing over a game of dejarik, Corso wandered over to the holoprojector, when Akaavi intercepted him.

 

“Something I can help you with, Miss Spar?” “I have noticed that you seem to dislike it whenever I insult the Republic. I saw you frown at me earlier. I am not exactly one for keeping my emotions or opinions bottled up, so I want you to go ahead and say what you think of my repeated insults.”

 

“Are you sure? I mean, I don’t want to offend you or anything and get my ass kicked by you, Miss Spar.” “No, I insist. I find it would be better to get our opinions out in the open rather than simmering beneath the surface.”

 

“Alright, you wanna know my opinions? I can’t stand that fact that you hate the Republic so much for no apparent reason. You insult it constantly, you don’t seem to find any aspect of the Republic worthwhile despite the fact the Empire not only screwed your clan, but can’t keep itself going due to internal conflicts. So can you please stop with the Republic insults?”

 

Akaavi looked at him, stone-faced. “I will now counter your argument with my own.  I have never been a citizen of the Republic. But I have seen many of their failures first hand. I was a bounty hunter, so I was often tracking down those who escaped Republic custody, or else those self-important Jedis who seemingly everyone idolizes. We are soon going to visit a seemingly-mythical Republic prison world. I would soon rather work for the Sith Empire, which is at least openly corrupt and rotten, than for the Republic, which keeps applying paint over all of its’ problems.”

 

With that, Akaavi stalked off, leaving a stunned Corso behind.

 

\----

 

Soon enough, they were at Andara. They landed at “Grishtak’s Survival Depot”, a well-maintained building with a built-in docking bay for starships. The entire building was painted in “camouflage”, despite being in the middle of a merchant’s district not even close to the foliage it was intended to blend in with.

 

As Prin and the others disembarked, they met with Grishtak himself-- a wearied-looking man who looked like he had crawled out of a warzone despite being on a peaceful planet. He spoke in a voice like his throat had been rubbed with sandpaper. “You got my supplies?” Prin nodded. “Affirmative, sir. We’ve got everything, and I mean _everything_ , loaded into the Boundless. If you’ll just sign here…”

 

While Prin and Grishtak ironed out the details and Ceetoo prepared to start unloading the cargo, the others milled about the Depot, surveying what they had in store. Corso looked over blaster cases, Risha found some new supplies for her bug-out bags, Akaavi practiced her staff skills on a few unlucky mannequins, Guss selected some new surgical equipment for the medbay, and Bowdaar examined bowcaster upgrades.

 

But soon enough, all the paperwork was sorted out and it was time to unload everything. Thankfully, Grishtak had a hoversled, which made the unloading _much_ easier. Before they knew it, they were done and left with plenty of spare time on their hands.

 

“Okay everyone, Grishtak told me that this merchant’s district is pretty busy, so let’s all meet back here in say… five hours?” Everyone nodded. “OK, let’s go explore.”

 

\----

 

Prin and Risha were exploring a stall that sold gear for “free-traders” (basically the legal version of smuggling). “Hey, Rish! Look at this thing!” He gestured to a large mechanical device, which seemed to be bigger than Bowdaar-- it looked to be a jetpack on steroids. “Prin, I don’t think any of us could use… whatever this is. It’s way too big.”

 

Then, the merchant running the stall came over. “Ah, I see you’re interested in our smuggler flight pack!” Prin and Risha just looked at each other before saying “Smuggler flight pack?” in unison.

 

“That’s right. A device created to help you with all your smuggling needs-- it can get you out of a tight spot with its’ swoop engines, and the repulsorlifts can provide silent flotation for up to 100 meters. The defense module is there in case you need a dynamic exit, with twin laser cannons. And the grappling claw can be magnetized or de-magnetized at your discretion, and is capable of carrying of carrying up to 15 metric tons!”

 

Risha just raised her eyebrows. “Well, Prin, why don’t you try it on?” “OK, but… I’m not sure where the hell we would stash it on the Boundless…”

 

Prin walked over, donned a specialized harness vest, and had the pack clamped onto the harness. “So, how do I control this thing?” “The harness has built in control handles, hit the button on the collar.” The control sticks flipped out, and Prin grabbed them, but before he could even take off… “Ugh, this thing is way too heavy, I don’t think-- whoa!” The gigantic flight pack fell over, taking Prin with it, leaving him on the ground, unable to get up.

 

The salesman looked nervous, while Risha looked like she was about to collapse into hysterical laughter. “Uh, a little help here?”

 

\----

 

Elsewhere, Corso was exploring random vendors. He examined a whole crate full of random junk. “Hmm, let’s see what they got in here…” He began to pull items out, including a ginormous black helmet with a sliding facemask ( _“Anyone who wore this would look frickin’ ridiculous”_ ), a weird gold orb with two handles and a glowing blue center ( _“What would you use this for?”_ ), and an unusual looking curved blade-weapon ( _“Bowdaar might like this.”_ ).

 

Suddenly, a shifty-looking Bothan in a cloak came over. “Hey, you want something strange and mystical?” Corso looked at him strangely, before the Bothan took out a box from his trenchcoat. “This is an Energy Polarizer. It is guaranteed to boost the performance of any vehicle it is fitted to by aligning all of its’ molecules.”

 

Corso pondered it-- it did sound like it could boost the Boundless’ performance, maybe even stop the hyperdrive from overheating (which helped lead them into that Imperial ambush). “I’ll take it. How much?”

 

“700 credits. I’ll take any type-- chip, coin, bill, ingot, cube.” Corso promptly handed over some ingots-- _“Man, they need to slim down the number of ways you can pay for stuff, it’s kinda complex.”_ , he thought.

 

As he walked away, he bumped into Akaavi, who looked even more pissed off than usual. “Out of my way, Riggs.” “OK, Miss Spar.” _“Geez, I wonder what’s gotten her all pissed off.”_ , as she stalked away.

 

Finding a bench to sit on, he opened to the box to find…. a bunch of lightsaber crystals and magnets glued together, with tinfoil to fill out the gaps. “What the kriff?! Oh, that son-of-a-Hutt Bothan scammed me!” Unholstering his gun, he made sure it was loaded. “Torchy, we’ve got an ass to kick.”

 

As he ran back to the stall, he passed Guss and Bowdaar. “Huh, I wonder where Mr. Riggs is off to in such a hurry?” Guss wondered. “Do not worry about it, it is not our business. Now what were you saying about the Lightning League?”

 

\----

Rushing back to the stall, Corso couldn’t find any sign of the Bothan scammer. “Dammit, I gotta find that guy so I can wring his neck!” He promptly began scanning the area, looking for any Bothans. He didn’t find any, but he did find Akaavi, behind the stall in an alleyway.

 

“Miss Spar, I need your help. Have you seen a Bothan in a grey cloak anywhere?”

 

Her eyes narrowed. “I am assuming you have been swindled by him too?” “Yeah, how’d you know?”

 

She snorted. “That cowardly slimeball sold me a blaster pistol that supposedly could completely disintegrate someone. I test-fired it, and it only worked on objects. What did he sell you?”

 

“This box thing he claimed was an “energy polarizer”, said it would increase performance on any vehicle. Looked inside, it was just a bunch of magnets and crystals glued together. Bastard got me for 700 credits.”

 

“Well, it looks like we have the same target. I suggest we put aside any differences we have and work together to find this scam artist.”

 

Corso nodded. “Alright. It’ll be you, me and Torchy.” As he held up his gun, he activated a holo-targeting lens. “Torchy hasn’t seen any action in a while, he’s gotten restless.”

 

Akaavi just looked strangely at Corso. She just shook her head, and consulted her MyComm. “According to the tracking bug I managed to plant on him, the Bothan has fled into a shadier part of the merchant’s district. We will take precautions to ensure we cannot be seen.”

 

She then handed him a stealth generator. “I assume that, given the captain’s preferences towards them, you can use a stealth generator.” Yeah, we used them all the time back on Ord Mantell. One time, we used them to sneak into a separatist base that was hollowed out of a volcano.”

 

Akaavi’s face shifted into a look of disbelief. “They created a base… out of an active volcano? That is insane!”

 

Corso finished strapping on the stealthbelt. “Well, that’s the Ord Mantellian separatists movement for you-- they were always pretty foolish. But we gotta find this Bothan, and kick his ass. Torchy’s ready and so am I.” He twirled Torchy around and aimed it at nothing in particular.

 

“I still do not understand why you insist on naming your weaponry. They are not people.” Akaavi scoffed. “I named these guys because they’re like my best friends in a battle-- solid and reliable.” He then activated his stealthbelt. “Let’s go find that swindler.”

 

\----

 

Soon enough, Akaavi and Corso, under cloak, found themselves outside of a relatively-shabby building. “So, I’ll go in and scout the place. Then we’ll formulate a plan.” Corso then quietly walked into the building.

 

He found the Bothan and many others, all wearing the same grey cloaks, gathered around something he couldn’t see. Then they parted-- to reveal a shimmering green orb, as they chanted ominous-sounding words he couldn’t understand.

 

But what happened next, Corso didn’t expect. Green energy swirled around and coalesced into a humanoid form, before solidifying into what looked like a human in a plain business suit. The being flexed his limbs, before turning to the cloaked figures.

 

“I thank you for reviving me from my hypersleep. And now, with the galaxy in the grip of war, it is the perfect time for us to strike!” The being spoke in a booming voice, seemingly rattling the walls. Then, a laser strike blew one of the cloaked figures away. The figure and his followers turned to see Corso, holding out Torchy, and Akaavi next to him.

 

“I dunno what the hell’s going on here, but we’ve got a score to settle with the Bothan!” Akaavi activated her techstaff, waving it around menacingly. “I would suggest you listen to him. I do not know who you are or what you are planning, but it ends now!”

 

The figure laughed. “A simple smuggler and his Mandalorian sidekick? Those are the first heroes who chose to oppose me?! Conquering the galaxy will be easier than I thought!” He then fired a green energy blast from his hand, flinging Corso and Akaavi back into a wall. Corso raised his head weakly. “Who are you?”

 

 _“I am Daatin, mortal!_ I was once a mere financial magnate on Muunilinst, but I wanted much more than that. I found a way to make myself immortal, and the process gave me powers beyond your comprehension.” Daatin began floating off the ground, an eerie green glow building around his form. “But the damned Jedis imprisoned me over 100 years ago, to prevent me from enacting my plans of conquest. But thanks to my acolytes, they were able to gather enough currency to ensure my return!”

 

Corso and Akaavi looked at each other, baffled as to how currency could possibly bring someone back from imprisonment. They shook it off as they picked themselves up. “Well, we’re a bit busy with a Republic/Empire war at the moment, so we _really_ don’t need a third party trying to take over the galaxy simultaneously.” As Corso checked Torchy to make sure he was alright, Akaavi looked ready to go. “You are welcome to try, Daatin, but if we cannot stop you, then others can!”

 

Daatin just chuckled again. “Acolytes, _destroy them!_ ” The hooded acolytes brandished spears, and Akaavi just smirked. “I think it’s time these acolytes learn that power isn’t everything, Corso.” “You got that right, Miss Spar.”

 

While Corso fired Torchy at the acolytes that tried to attack from the sides, Akaavi whirled her staff with precision, striking more Acolytes with the energized tips, smoking holes visible through their cloaks. Others tried to use the spears, but Akaavi easily parried their blows and knocked their spears out of their hands. Soon enough, most of the acolytes were on the floor, disarmed. Only a few were left, guarding Daatin’s glowing form, and the orb on the pedestal.

 

“You might have defeated my acolytes, but I can still easily blast you into the next star system!” Daatin then began firing energy blasts from his hands all over, with Corso and Akaavi just narrowly dodging crumbling debris. They took refuge in an antechamber, not knowing what to do next.

 

“Miss Spar, we’ve gotta figure out a way to stop that guy, before he ends up all-powerful!” Corso seemed to be panicking-- until Akaavi slapped him. “Get a hold of yourself, Riggs. I’m calling the captain, he might be able to contact Republic forces for assistance.” Corso looked shocked, both from the slap and Akaavi’s statement. “But, you said you hated the Republic! And now you’re just going to use the Captain’s connections to call in the cavalry?! Aren’t you being hypocritical?”

 

Akaavi looked like she wanted to strangle him. “Listen, we ARE in a crisis here. I’ve sent Captain Prindrohi a distress signal so hopefully--” BOOM! The antechamber’s walls were blown open by the floating Daatin, looking pissed. “You try to run and hide! Hah, this will be even easier than I imagined!” Daatin gloated. Corso and Akaavi simply armed their weapons. “I have had enough of your smug superiority, financial demon! This ends now!”

 

“Hmmph. I like that term-- financial demon! But, your days are numbered-- GAAAH!” He was cut off as red lasers burst through the roof, striking Daatin. “Who dares interrupt me in my moment of triumph!”

 

“That would be me.” It was Prindrohi, lowering through the ceiling using what looked like a giant jetpack with laser turrets on the sides. “ _Nobody_ messes with my friends. I dunno who, or honestly _what_ , you are, but you’re going down.”

 

“So, some other smuggler comes to assist his puny little friends. It’s no matter, I can still beat you and everyone else--” He was cut off as Prin fired his turrets again, sending Daatin hurtling through the air. Using Prin as a distraction, Risha ran in and hurled a sticky thermal detonator at Daatin! It stuck, and it blew up spectacularly, sending him crashing back to the ground.

 

Daatin wasn’t finished though-- he grew even bigger, crashing through the damaged roof, now 50 stories tall! Daatin, now looking less human and more like a human/lizard hybrid, roared, and began firing energy blasts all around him! Buildings exploded, raining debris down on the market, people fleeing from the destruction! As Prin and the others watched in horror, something suddenly clicked in Corso’s mind. “Guys, we have to destroy that orb! It’s his source of power!”

 

Corso readied Torchy, Risha prepped another sticky bomb, Prin charged up his turrets, and Akaavi energized her staff. “Now!” Corso and Prin fired their lasers, cracking the orb a bit. Risha’s sticky bomb attached to the orb and detonated, making more, huge cracks appear on the surface. Green energy began to leak out from the orb, and Daatin paused his destruction, clutching his torso. Finally, Akaavi struck it with her energized techstaff, making it shatter! "NO! NO! NOOOOO!!!" Daatin screamed as his monstrous form suddenly began flickering, before seemingly dissipating into green energy. The threat was over. Then, a squad of Republic troopers arrived-- a bit late for the cavalry, but still. The lead trooper looked over the scene-- a guy in a giant jetpack, a shattered green orb thing, and a bunch of defeated cultists in robes.

 

“We need to get paid more for this.”

 

\----

 

Soon after that, the acolytes were taken into custody, while Prin and the crew were back on the Boundless, with Prin on a conference call with Senator Dodonna and some random Jedi about the whole incident. “It was pure luck that we happened to be there. Some of my crew were investigating a random Bothan scam artist, only to stumble upon….”, Prin making confused, wild hand gestures, “ _this!_ ”

 

The Senator looked relieved, while the Jedi looked impassive (as usual). “Well, it’s a good thing you were there, Captain, or otherwise we’d have a major crisis to deal with. Good work.” Senator Dodonna then gave Prindrohi a thumbs-up.

 

Prin then turned to the Jedi. “So, who _was_ this guy, and what was his whole deal?” “He was a corrupt financier from Muunilinst who tried to cheat death and turn himself into a superpowered being. The Jedi imprisoned him over a century ago in a Force orb, but apparently he was able to influence those nearby into becoming his acolytes with the promise of riches and power.”

 

Corso and Akaavi walked over to the holoprojector. “Well, it’s a good thing we got scammed by that Bothan then-- if we hadn’t, nobody would’ve known what was happening until Daatin laid waste to the whole planet!” Corso exclaimed. The Jedi had a knowing look on his face. “Such is the will of the Force.”

 

Turning back to the Senator, Prin began discussing their upcoming mission to Belsavis, while Corso collapsed on the couch. “I tell ya, when we get on Belsavis, I’m staying here on the ship. I’ve had enough of stopping evil plots for one day.”

 

Akaavi sat down next to him, also weary looking. “And I shall admit, despite our differences, we worked together to take down an enemy we did not even realize existed.” She then took out her MyComm and cued up some holoseries to watch.

 

Corso just smiled and slipped into some much-needed sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Smuggler Flight Pack is based on an actual toy released in the mid-90s, where it was packed in with Han Solo. (See it here: http://swmerchandise.wikia.com/wiki/Deluxe_Han_Solo_with_Smuggler_Flight_Pack_(69612)) I even based the salesman's pitch on the back-of-card info.
> 
> And the items Corso examines? It's Dark Helmet's helmet from Spaceballs, the Matrix of Leadership from Transformers, and a bat'leth from Star Trek.
> 
> The "Energy Polarizer", meanwhile, was also real-- in mid-1980s Australia, a famous racer named Peter Brock worked with Holden (GM's Australian arm) to created specially-badged performance cars with his name, only for him to try to fit the Energy Polarizer on all the models, which made Holden flee the partnership.
> 
> Anyway, I thought it was time for Corso to have a focus chapter, and I got the idea of pairing him with Akaavi based on their differing views on the Republic-- he's a patriot, while she absolutely loathes it, only for them to set aside their differences and face a greater enemy.
> 
> Daatin just came to me randomly-- I thought about having the Bothan scammer be part of a bigger criminal organization, but then it snowballed into having him being a cultist trying to revive a greater evil.
> 
> And as for Corso and Akaavi, I'm honestly not sure if they should have a romantic relationship or not, as a counterpoint to Prin and Risha's now-solid pairing.
> 
> Next time, the crew of the Boundless heads for Corellia, but en route are drawn into more than they thought-- they must become Masters of the Maze!


	11. Masters

As Ceetoo moved Risha’s stuff into Prin’s quarters, they just lay on the bed, snuggling each other. They had finally tracked down Rogun the Butcher on Tatooine, only to be confronted with information that challenged their whole Republic privateering business-- Darmas had been working for the Empire this whole time, secretly an agent of the Voidwolf, and Senator Dodonna was his accomplice, angling for her own planet to rule. 

 

Rogun had instead given them pointers on what the Voidwolf was planning, a massed pirate fleet to attack the Republic. They hightailed it to the Boundless, and were currently on the way to Corellia, where the Voidwolf’s flagship was. It was at least 48 hours before they would get there, so to kill time, Risha was now officially moving into the captain’s quarters.

 

Prin just sighed, a shattered look on his face. “Risha, I still can’t believe all the crap that’s happened in the last 24 hours. We find that our employers have secretly been working for the Empire this whole time, and Rogun decided to help us. And he forgave my debt over that crate of blasters!” Risha, for her part, was pointing to Ceetoo where to put her things, but was mainly concerned with hugging Prin. “I know, but you remember when you told me how friendship was rare in the smuggling game? It goes the other way-- your closest ally can easily turn on you at the mere mention of loot. It’s how the game works.”

 

Prin looked away, forlorn. Just then, the ship suddenly quaked, knocking Ceetwo (already unbalanced from the bug-out bag he was carrying) to the floor. “Oh, goodness!” Prin and Risha promptly scrambled to the cockpit, where Corso was in a panic. “Guys, something just knocked us out of hyperspace!”

 

Prin checked the proximity monitor, but there wasn’t anything there. But he looked out the viewports, and glimpsed what looked like a floating…. island? Suddenly, the ship was struck by what looked like a glowing energy sphere, surrounding the ship. The lights dimmed. The others rushed in, equally confused. “Captain Drohi, what’s happening?” Guss asked, eyes wider than normal.

 

Suddenly, a mysterious-sounding female voice echoed from the intercom. “Welcome… to Maze Island.” The crew looked around, trying to find the source. “Your journey begins…. now.” Even Risha was unnerved by this turn of events. The Boundless then began plummeting towards the island! “Captain, the controls aren’t working! We’re gonna crash!” Corso yelled, pressing buttons and flipping switches to no avail-- they weren’t in control anymore!

 

The Boundless soon entered the atmosphere, re-entry heat forming a flaming outline. “All hands, brace for impact!” As they looked down, they saw they were heading straight for a huge lake! They all screamed in terror-- “AAAAHHHHH!”-- but they went through the lake harmlessly! Everybody trailed off from their screaming and looked out the viewports-- they were now in some twisty energy-tunnel thing, not dissimilar to hyperspace.

 

Soon, they exited the tunnel, setting down in what looked like a cavern of some type. Everybody promptly debarked from the Boundless, weapons at the ready-- when suddenly, their weapons began shimmering with light, and vanished! 

 

The mysterious voice then spoke again. “You have no need for sidearms here.” Bowdaar promptly roared in anger. “Who are you? Why have you brought us here?!” The voice merely chuckled. “You will find out in due time. Proceed down the hall.”

 

The group promptly began walking towards the pinprick of light in the distance. Corso just shook his head in disbelief. “As if our lives aren’t chaotic enough, now we’ve been kidnapped by someone or something, and we can’t defend ourselves!” “You’re forgetting, farmboy, that me and Akaavi are well-trained in hand-to-hand. Plus we’ve got Bowdaar for physical strength. We can get through… whatever this is.” Meanwhile, Guss seemingly wasn’t concerned, just walking along as if on a casual stroll. Bowdaar whispered to him. “I assume you are trying to be like the Jedi, a passive mask over your true emotions.” Gus nodded. “Yeah, I hoping whoever this person is doesn’t sense my true fear.”

 

They eventually reached the end of the passage, and stepped into an archway filled by glowing light. The voice rang out again. “Proceed, and you will eventually find your way to escape.” The crew stepped through, and emerged in what looked like an even bigger cavern, surrounded by giant viewscreens. In the center, three slim podiums with odd grips on them lay waiting.

 

Then, a bright flash of light appeared-- when it died down, a woman, in a silver dress and boots, had materialized seemingly from nowhere. “Greetings. I am the Lady of the Maze, and---”

 

Akaavi walked over to her. “Listen, scum. I don’t know who you are, but we were on our way to somewhere very important when you decided to kidnap us! Now let us go, before I--”

 

With a wave of the woman’s hand, Akaavi suddenly found herself garbed in unusual attire-- a silver jumpsuit, covered in gadgetry. Prin and Guss found themselves in the same suits, while Bow, Risha and Corso were now outfitted in similar but different silver suits. The Lady continued. “As I was saying, I brought you here to give you a challenge. I have devised one of the most challenging mazes in the galaxy, and I had been looking for those skilled, brave and resourceful enough to conquer it. I found you via the HoloNet, as both smugglers and heroes. I have picked you to run my Maze. But first, you must play my game.”

 

Prin looked at everybody, clearly annoyed. “Alright, looks we don’t have a choice in the matter. If we’re ever gonna get back on the road to Corellia and bring Darma, Dodonna and the Voidwolf to justice, we gotta go through this.”

 

“Good, now-- three of you, take positions behind the podiums. I will show you images that will start out unclear, then become more visible. When you think you know what it is, use the triggers to zap the screen. A correct answer will give you 10 points. I will then ask a 5-point question related to the image. The first two teams that get to 50 points will run my Maze.”

 

Risha, Corso and Guss stepped up and gripped the podiums. “Now, here is your first image.” All three viewscreens then began showing… something. It cleared up, and gradually comprehension dawned on the trio’s faces. Surprisingly, Guss was the first one to zap the screen. 

 

“Ooh, it’s a power cell!” “Yes it is, Guss Tuno. You and Bowdaar now have 10 points. Now, for 5 points, answer the question: what creature feeds on power cells and renders them unusable?” Guss concentrated for a few seconds, before tentatively answering “Shadow lurkers?”

 

“That is correct, you now have 15 points. Next image.” Another unclear image appeared, but this time Risha confidently zapped her screen. “It’s a hyperdrive activation cylinder!” “Correct, Miss Drayen. Now, my follow up question: what is the name of the container for an activation cylinder issued to flight crews?” Risha hesitated, before a “warbling” sound cut her off. “I’m sorry, the answer was a dispatch case. Your team now has 10 points. Onto the next image.”

 

\----

 

Eventually, Prin and Risha’s teams got to 50 points-- “I am sorry, but only two teams can run the Maze. Guss and Bowdaar, you tried your best, but you are out of the game. You may take seats in the audience section.”

 

While Guss looked dejected, Bow looked confused. “What audience?” he asked. The Lady of the Maze then floated over to a section of the cavern that had been shrouded in darkness. She waved her hand, and the darkness dissipated to reveal risers full of beings, all of whom had apparently been watch the action this whole time! “J.D. and Mario will escort you to you seats.” Two men then came over and the alien duo followed them.

 

The darkness then re-enveloped the audience area. “I apologize, but I broadcast my Maze across the HoloNet for people to watch. I bring in people to watch on occasion, they believe it is nothing more than a game show.”

 

The Lady of the Maze then floated over to the remaining teams-- Prin and Akaavi, and Risha and Corso. “Now, it is time for you to experience the Maze yourselves. As the team that passed the point threshold first, Prindrohi will run the Maze first. Akaavi will guide you through the Maze from the base station over here.”, pointing towards a circular platform surrounded by monitors and with a large control stick in the center.

 

“Now, I will show you how your Powersuits function. They are wirelessly linked to the base station, so your partner can tell you which way to go, what to do and when to do it. It also comes with haptic sensors that activate to point you in a certain direction, and an arm-mounted laser that will be useful when the time comes. It is time to find what the Maze beyond entails.”

 

The viewscreens activated and began showing a maze composed of craggy-looking walls with mirrored surfaces. “The first part is the Mirror Maze-- your partner will direct you through with the map in front of them and the control stick. But beware my Mirror Man-- he will test your knowledge before you can pass him.” The Mirror Man looked like a mirror on droid legs, with a weird looking face stuck on the front.

 

The image changed to that of a bridge. “You must cross the bridge, and make sure to grab the Power Stick. It will be very important.”

 

The camera shifted to a bird’s-eye view of a gold and orange colored maze, with many nooks and crannies. “Next is the Honeycomb Maze. The runner’s visor will automatically seal, and they must rely solely on their partner to guide them through. Another Power Stick awaits at the end of this section.”

 

Now, the teams saw what looked like an ice-filled cavern, giving them flashbacks to Hoth. “You must traverse the Ice Cave, again without sight. But, if you can solve a puzzle, I will grant you a shortcut through it. But beware, obstacles may arise if you hit the Mirror Man’s face.”

 

The camera zoomed into what looked like some sort of room with multiple unusual-looking heads on the walls. “You will then enter the Chamber of Knowledge, where the Guardians will ask questions-- if you fail, then you must wait before they will let you pass.”

 

Finally, the camera came to rest on what looked like a miniature mountain, with spinning cubes dotted around, and a strange pedestal at the top. “Finally, you will run up Lightning Mountain. You will use your laser to shoot the cubes when they display the images of diamonds to open the barriers, and at the top, insert the Power Stick to stop the clock.”

 

Then the Lady of the Maze’s body vanished, and her head appeared on all the screens. “But before you traverse my Maze, I will allow you a short break to fuel your bodies.” She vanished again, leaving behind a table filled with snacks and drinks.

 

\----

 

The group commiserated while snacking. Prin was still irritated, but also filled with curiosity at the upcoming Maze run. “I’ll be honest-- if we hadn’t been kidnapped, I’d sign up for this show, or whatever it is, in a heartbeat.” he said while snacking on finger sandwiches. Risha, meanwhile, was enjoying pigs-in-a-blanket, and briefly started speaking, before realizing she had a mouthful of food.

 

“Okay, let’s talk strategy. We need to figure out the quickest way through that maze. Prin, do you think you can bring the smuggler flight pack in?”

 

He shook his head. “The crazy lady would probably just make it disappear like she did with our weaponry.” Corso came over, a can of soda in-hand. “Captain, this morning we found out the crimelord who’d been hounding us since Ord Mantell was now on our side, and this afternoon we’ve been kidnapped and forced to explore a crazy maze. Am I just having a bad dream, here?”

 

Meanwhile, Akaavi, Bow and Guss were looking at Akaavi’s Powersuit curiously. “What’d you think this stuff might be? It looks like spray-painted durasheet.” Guss commented, poking at the suit. Akaavi slapped his hand away. “I do not know what this is composed of, but I will admit, it feels rather comfortable.” Bow, having just downed a whole plate of crackers and taken a huge swig of water, let out an island-shaking BELCH.

 

“Sorry, Captain.”

 

Prin waved him off. “I’m used to your huge burps at this point, Bow. Now once we escape this Maze, we’ve gotta hightail it to Corellia so we can catch that lying scumbag Darmas, or whatever his name is.”

 

Suddenly, the table vanished, and so did the podiums. The Lady of the Maze re-appeared, her head projected above the entrance to the Maze. “It is time for the first Maze run. Take your positions.”

 

\----

 

As Prin paced back and forth in front of the entrance to the Maze, Akaavi was readying her headset at the base station. The Lady of the Maze then appeared in her bodily form. “I will now activate your Powersuit. You can feel the haptic sensors for the different directions, can you not?”

 

Prin, somewhat uncomfortable with the constant rumbling everywhere, simply nodded.

 

“Then, in three, two, one--  _ go! _ ”

 

Prin dashed off, through the entrance and out of the cavern. He entered the mirror maze, with Akaavi’s voice in his ears. “Go left! Left again!” As Prin dashed through the mirrors, trying to find his way, it was rather disorienting. “Now, right, then left again!” It seemed he was close to getting out of this part of the maze! Then, the Mirror Man he had been warned about stepped in front of him.

 

The Mirror Man growled. “Answer this question. What planet does King Actavarus currently rule?” Without hesitating, Prin answered “Dubrillion!”

 

“Correct, you may pass.” The Mirror Man promptly scooted away as Prin rushed past him, racing across the bridge to the next section, though not before grabbing the Power Stick. He soon came upon the entrance to the Honeycomb Maze, and warning blared. “VISOR DOWN!”

 

His visor sealed shut automatically, and it was up to Akaavi to direct him now. She wiggled the stick-- “Go forward! And again!” Prin made his way through the doors, but bumped into the far wall. Akaavi growled in frustration. “Back up and turn left!” Prin went through, and was directed into the exit of this part, his visor raising. “Whew. Okay, half the maze is done.” he muttered, grabbing the other Power Stick on the way out.

 

Now, he found himself in front of a locked gate, and a glowing cube, which promptly revealed the Lady of the Maze within. “Good job, Prindrohi, for making it this far. To proceed, insert the first Power Stick into this cube.” He promptly did so, and the Stick quickly vanished as the cube turned from pink to green. “Now, look at the cube. You have five seconds to solve this image.”

 

An unclear image like the ones from earlier appeared on the surface of the cube, but it quickly resolved itself into- “An electrosword!” Prin blurted out. “You are correct. You have earned the shortcut to the Chamber of Knowledge, but do not step on my Mirror Men or sensors, otherwise I will block your path. Visor down, sensors on, push the gate and you may proceed.”

 

As he entered the Ice Maze, Akaavi was shouting even louder now. “Go left, a little bit more! Avoid the faces, don’t touch--” Too late. Prin accidentally hit one of the Mirror Man faces, and giant icicles lowered down from the ceiling, blocking his way. “Captain, stop! Then, move to the right, and go forward!” 

 

Prin hoped he was going in the right direction, because the haptic sensors didn’t seem very accurate to him, and Akaavi’s instructions didn’t seem to help. _ “I hate being blind like this, I can’t figure out where anything is!” _ he thought.

 

He flattened against the wall, and began hearing an insistent beeping noise. The exit was nearby. He reoriented himself and hoped he went in the direction of the beeps. Thankfully, his visor opened and he exited into the Chamber of Knowledge.

 

He was inwardly freaked out by the inexplicable talking heads on the walls, as a gold one began talking. “I am the Guardian of the Natural World, and here is my question. What plague has turned the inhabitants of Taris into violent creatures?” “The Rakghoul virus!”

 

“Correct, you may proceed.” As the gate opened, Prin breathed a sigh of relief. He was almost out! But Lightning Mountain remained.

 

He aimed his laser gauntlet, with Akaavi firing. He managed to get three diamond images on the cubes, before rushing up and slamming the Power Stick into the pedestal atop the mountain.

 

The Lady of the Maze materialized next to him as he went back down the mountain. “Excellent work, Prindrohi. Your time in the Maze was 4 minutes and 32 seconds. Now, it is time for Corso to run the Maze.”

 

\----

 

After another quick refueling break, Corso was ready to run the Maze, Risha in place at the base station. The Lady of the Maze reappeared again. “Now, you must run the Maze in less time than Prindrohi did. If your time exceeds his, then you have lost. Now, your journey begins!”

 

Corso ran into the Mirror Maze, having seen the map when Akaavi was using it earlier. And while he was successful in getting through it quickly, the Mirror Man blocked him. “Answer my question: what type of poison is frequently used in dart form by assassins and bounty hunters?”

 

Since Corso was an expert on darts, he knew the answer. “Fex-M3!” “You may pass.” He zoomed past the Mirror Man and seemed to cross the bridge in seconds, grabbing the Power Stick on his way.

 

But his momentum came to a halt when his visor slid down. It was the Honeycomb Maze.

 

He managed to get through the first door, but after that, he seemed like a helpless old man, stumbling his way into walls and doors. “C’mon Corso, go left!” “I don’t know which way is left, Risha!”

 

Finally he managed to exit, grabbing the second Power Stick hastily, before the Lady of the Maze reappeared. “Good to see you have made it this far, Corso. First, insert the first Power Stick into this cube.” He did just that. “Now, if you can solve this photo, you will be granted a shortcut to the Chamber of Knowledge, you have five seconds.”

 

The image appeared and cleared up. “A vibrosword!” he shouted. “I’m sorry, but that is incorrect. Visor down, sensors on and don’t step on my mirror men. Push the gate and you may proceed.”

 

Corso flung the gate open, and clumsily attempted to avoid the Mirror Men faces and the sensors. “C’mon Corso, to the left, left, avoid the Mirror Men whatevers!” Risha shouted. Unlike Prin, he managed to do so, and quickly found his way into the Chamber of Knowledge.

 

His visor unsealing, he couldn’t suppress his disgust at the weird wall heads. “I am the Guardian of Innovation, and here is my question: What space station has the power to move planets with its’ tractor beams?” There was only one that could do so: “Centerpoint Station!” “Correct, you may proceed.”

 

Corso rushed through and scrambled to Lightning Mountain-- the timer on his arm was slowly ticking upwards! “OK Corso, you aim, I’ll shoot!” He aimed at the spinning cubes, and he managed to get four! Corso, out of breath and pulse pounding, shot up Lightning Mountain and scrambled to the pedestal. He inserted the Power Stick, and the clock stopped!

 

“Corso Riggs, you have managed to beat your Captain’s time, you stopped the clock at 3 minutes and 48 seconds! You win!”

 

Corso just gave a thumbs up, as the others rushed to him. “Now, it is time for the final phase of your journey. Farewell.” Suddenly, Corso turned into a ball of light and shot at one of the videowalls! His name and time were displayed on it….

 

\----

 

And suddenly, everybody was back aboard the Boundless, going through hyperspace to Corellia!

 

Prin and Risha shook their heads confusedly, in the captain's quarters as if nothing had happened. Ceetwo was there, not on the floor, but still struggling to carry a heavy bug-out bag. “Prin, what in the hell just happened?”

 

“Well, it looks like we’re back on the way to Corellia. That’s good. But I don’t understand what the point of all that was, besides being a holo-series apparently.”

 

Corso walked in. “Uh, Captain, you may want to take a look at this…” He gave Prin what looked like a datapad and a Power Stick, bundled together. Prin took the datapad and read the text.

 

“Dear Prindrohi and crew, I apologise for intruding on your lives. My real name is Clea, leader of the planet Kline. I have been searching for a suitable crew to help aid my planet-- thanks to the Empire it has been rendered nigh-uninhabitable. There is one hope, the Power Lances, which are powerful objects that could restore the planet. But the pathway is a complex maze, so I went out and constructed an artificial floating space station resembling an island with a replica of the Maze, to see if the Maze might be passable for us. You have proved that it is, and we might have a hope of returning our planet to normal. I have enclosed a special Power Stick trophy as a memento for you-- I hereby designate you and your crew Masters of the Maze.”

 

Prin put down the datapad. “Well, it looks like Clea had good intentions, just a bad way of expressing them. Let’s put this trophy somewhere, because we’ve gotta get to Corellia, focus on other things.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole chapter is based off an obscure 1990s game show on what was then the Family Channel (currently Freeform), and I've created a video archive for it here: http://gameshows.wikia.com/wiki/User:TheMisterFree/Masters_Of_The_Maze_Video_Archive
> 
> My original concept had them visiting an amusement park and having to run the Maze for reals (somewhat like the Dungeons and Dragons cartoon), but I couldn't find a way to fit it around the Smuggler storyline, so I revised the idea into a mysterious floating island in space. 
> 
> The Lady of the Maze was present in the actual show, but they never gave a reason why this was all here (aside from it being "the video game of the future"), so I gave her some concrete reasoning. J.D. and Mario are named after the actual hosts, JD Roth (from Fun House) and Mario Lopez (then of Saved by the Bell, nowadays of Extra); I considering having a host, but found it better just to have the Lady of the Maze running everything.  
>  Her real name, Clea, comes from her actress in season 2 of the show, Clea Montville, while her planet, Kline, is named after production firm Kline and Friends (a bunch of disaffected Barry & Enright employees who left that company after Jack Barry died in 1984, mostly known for co-producing Win, Lose or Draw).
> 
> I also intentionally paired up the teams who ran the Maze for variety, given how each duo hadn't interacted much (part of my mission to have the crewmembers interact with each other more, rather than using Prin as a go-between).


	12. Home Base

Prin collapsed onto his bed, dead tired. The past few days had been insane even by his standards: bringing Darmas and Dodonna to justice, defeating the Voidwolf on his flagship and subsequently escaping its’ self-destruction, taking command of the Voidwolf’s massive pirate fleet and aiding the Republic against the Empire; when he got back down to the surface, the Republic higher-ups had commendated him with the Medal of Service. But right now, all he wanted was some decent sleep.

 

He felt someone enter. It was Risha, who promptly sat down next to him. “Hey Prin. Listen, where do you want to go? The fleet you took from the Voidwolf’s gone to Port Nowhere, but we’re free to do our own thing, at least for the moment.”

 

He lifted his head, barely conscious. “Coruscant.” he mumbled. After a minute, he began snoring. He was finally passed out cold.

 

Risha gave his a kiss on the cheek and left the room, smiling.

 

\----

  
  


“Ugh… feels like a speeder hit me or something…” A zombie-like Prin wandered out into the hallway. He shuffled down to the kitchen to get some caf, only to find Bowdaar waiting there for him. “Welcome back to the land of the living, Captain.”

 

Prin rubbed his head woozily. “Uh, Bow, how long was I out?” Bow pulled out his MyComm-- “About 36 hours.”

 

“Well, I can’t say I didn’t need it. Where is everybody?” “Risha has gone shopping with Akaavi, Corso and Guss are going to a sporting event. We’ve been here at Coruscant for about 12 hours now.” Bowdaar recounted, as he handed a mug of stimcaf to Prin.

 

Prin took several gulps of the stimcaf. “Ooh, that’s way better. OK, so I guess that just leaves you and me, Bow. There anywhere you want to go, or….”

 

“Not particularly. I feel for once like being on the couch and watching whatever we can get on the holoprojector.”

 

“You read my mind, Bow.”

 

Soon, they were both on the couch, flipping through the holochannels. “No, that looks boring. Whoa, infomercial, avoid that. Nah, seen that already…” As Bow flipped through, Prin tapped him to pause-- it was a newscast.

 

_ “This is Hololine News, Second Watch, with Lari Keman.”  _

 

As the holo tinted to red, a female anchor appeared, a picture of Corellia floating behind her. _ “Our top story is the Republic’s turnaround of the near-secession of Corellia to the Sith Empire. Perhaps the most notable battle to free the planet was the one in orbit, where the Imperial admiral known as the “Voidwolf” attempted to use a pirate and mercenary fleet as part of his plan to manipulate the galactic underworld. But a lone smuggler, Prindrohi Candaren, had been hot on the trail of the Voidwolf for months and finally confronted him. He defeated the Voidwolf and convinced the pirate fleet to join the Republic-- as the Voidwolf’s flagship self-destructed, the pirate fleet was able to rout an incoming Imperial strike force alongside the Republic’s 8th Fleet, securing Corellia. But the defeat of the Voidwolf wasn’t the only heroic deeds the smuggler performed-- he had just prior apprehended two of the Voidwolf’s agents, renowned gambler Darmas Polloran, and disgraced Republic Senator Bevera Dodonna, both of whom are now in Republic custody. For his actions, Candaren was awarded the Republic Medal of Service by Supreme Chancellor Saresh and Supreme Commander Rans, the highest civilian honor.” _

 

Prin turned to Bow, muting the newscast. “Damn, man. And here I thought it was all a weird dream. But I really did do all that stuff, didn’t I?”

 

Bow merely chuckled. “Do not worry, Captain, it will take time for your actions to sink in. The HoloNet in general is buzzing about your actions-- they’ve started calling you the ‘Voidhound’.”

 

Prin nodded. “Voidhound, huh? I like that nickname. Anyway, let’s see what else is on.”

 

\----

 

Elsewhere, Risha and Akaavi were amongst the crowds in the  _ Glitannai Esplanade _ , browsing the wares of the high-end shops. They were already laden with several bags, mostly clothing.

 

“So, now that all the hunt for the Voidwolf has finally ended, I would suggest we find a permanent housing facility, Miss Drayen.” Akaavi had less bags, mainly full of interesting artifacts she had found in an antiques shop.

 

“I was thinking the same thing, actually. We do need a place to call home when we’re not flying the hyperlanes. And since this is Coruscant, it’s bound to be pricey-- but between the riches of my father’s treasure, and the 500,000 credit bounty you guys ended up getting for defeating that crazy financial demon or whatever it was, we’ve got money to burn.”

 

The duo walked into Silver Towers Realtors, one of the high-end property management firms in Galactic City. The office was minimalist, mainly silver walls with clear desks, pictures of fancy-looking locations hovering in front of the walls.

 

A purple-skinned Twi’lek in a business suit rose up and greeted the duo. “Welcome to Silver Towers, where you can rise up and join the heavens. I’m Marlieen, what I can I help you with?”

 

Risha pulled out her new MyPad (CEC had just debuted datapad-sized MyComms, and Risha had got her hands on a few). “I’m looking for a place with enough space for 10 people and lots of cargo. Do you have any listings that meet those characteristics?”

 

Marlieen nodded. “I think so, but it might--” Risha grinned. “Oh, don’t worry about credits, money is no object. After all, my boyfriend is the Voidhound.”

 

The Twi’lek gasped, her tentacles twitching in amazement. “Your boyfriend was the one who helped save Corellia! Hell, I’m giving you two a discount! I’ll go get the paperwork started!” She dashed off into a side office, leaving Risha and Akaavi behind.

 

“I’ll admit that there do seem to be some perks of having Prindrohi around. This is one of them.” Risha said. But Akaavi just looked a bit confused. “But, why do we need space for 10 people? Our crew is only six beings-- seven if you count the droid.”

 

“I always have future expansion in my mind, Miss Spar. May I remind you that I am a queen?” Risha smirked.

 

\----

 

Meanwhile, Corso and Guss were on their way to something they couldn’t miss-- a new fad sweeping Coruscant, the VCL--  _ Vehicular Combat League _ . All sorts of crazy craft-- wheeled, hover, jets, anything that could move-- would compete in a demolition derby-style event, with each vehicle having all sorts of bizarre tricks and gadgetry.

 

“I’ll tell ya, Guss, this sounds like something we’d do back on Ord Mantell. We had demolition derbies with old swoops and speeders all the time. My old man even let me wreck our old Incom model when we couldn’t sell it to anybody. Man, that was fun.”

 

The duo were busy inching their way through the seats, arms full of the typically-overpriced concessions they sell at arenas. “Well, Mister Riggs, I’ve heard there are all sorts of bitter rivalries in the League, Bowdaar was telling me about them. The Lightning League is constantly fighting the Monster Minds-- something involving the LL’s leader Jayce and his father, there are the Zone Riders and Black Widows, M.A.S.K. and V.E.N.O.M-- it’s nuts!”

 

Then, the arena lights darkened, and an announcer’s voice rang out.  _ “Now, live on the HoloNet from the Galactic Coliseum on Coruscant-- it’s time for the Vehicular Combat League!”  _ The crowd roared, ready to see some crazy stunts and action!

 

_ “From the Lightning League, it’s Jayce inside that little buggy, Armed Force! And there goes Bigfoot, ready to crush! We’ve got the Rhino of M.A.S.K., ready to roll! And Commander Courage and his Zone Riders! The first event will have them competing in a vehicular obstacle course designed to crush any lesser vehicles, but these guys just might be able to make it!” _

 

Corso and Guss began munching on their food, eager to see what these insane vehicles could do!

 

\----

 

Back on the Boundless, Prin and Bow were off the couch and were instead cleaning the ship up a bit. “Hey, toss me that duster, will ya?” Prin reasoned that since he hadn’t really cleaned the ship since after his final confrontation with Skavak, they probably should get around to cleaning it. All the battles they’d gone through, all the cargo they transported, everything was dirty in some fashion.

 

Prin was busy dusting a lot of the random crates full of odds and ends that hadn’t been touched in a while, while Bow vacuumed out all the HVAC vents, which had lots of dust, dirt and debris within them, including leftover sand from Tatooine.

 

“Hey Bow, I’ve got a question. You ever want to visit Kashyyyk again? Maybe we could find your family, they’re probably still around.”

 

Bow looked away. “I do not think they would still be there, the slavers captured my entire family. Even if they somehow managed to make it back, the sheer amount of Wookiees would make it near-impossible to find them.”

 

Prin came over and gave him a hug. “I’m sorry, Bow. But hey, you’ve got a new family. Me, and Risha and everyone else.” Prin walked over to another crate, when it suddenly sprang open, startling Prin! “Whoa! I dunno how that happened!”

 

He peered inside the crate, and gasped. He pulled out a blaster pistol. “Bow, do you know what this is? It’s the crate of blasters that was supposed to go to Rogun the Butcher! I thought that bastard Skavak sold them!”

 

“He must have only said that to mess with you. We all know of that traitorous scumbag’s fixation with breaking promises.”

 

Shutting the crate, Prin turned around. “Yeah, but before we met you, me and Corso got him back-- we convinced a slicer to falsify Skavak’s records. Not only did we make it accurate to his criminal profession, but we also added in some info on his health-- specifically the fact that he suffered from  _ Bothan Nether Rot! _ ”

 

Bow broke down in laughter, leaning on the holoprojector for support. “I-I cannot believe you added that to his records! That must have been incredibly embarrassing for him! A-ha-ha-ha!”

 

Prin just grinned, laughing up a storm.

 

\----

 

Back at the realtor’s office, Risha and Akaavi were comparing several different properties.

 

“No, this one’s too inconveniently sited, it won’t work.” Risha dismissed one place and checked out a beach house on the shores of the Great Western Sea. Akaavi, meanwhile, was eyeing a particular place near Core Plaza, a nice three-story walkup.

 

Then, Marlieen reentered, a grin on her face. “I think I’ve found something for you, Miss Voidhound. It’s a listing we’ve had for a while, but no one wanted it!”

 

Risha and Akaavi exchanged surprised looks. “No one wanted it? But this is Coruscant, real estate is always in demand.”

 

Marlieen then slid them a datacard, which Risha inserted into her MyPad. An image of a beautiful apartment building in the Senate District, right near the Spaceport, appeared on-screen.

 

“It’s a nice location, 5 bedrooms, 4 and a half bathrooms, a garage for speeders and swoops, a balcony view, and all utilities are included.”

 

Risha chuckled. “OK, so what’s the catch? That’s where you actually live?”

 

The Twi’lek rolled her eyes. “I wish. It’s actually the downstairs neighbors who are the problem-- a bunch of VCL drivers who got the apartment in a raffle. They’re loud, noisy and disruptive, and their mere presence scares away any potential occupants. They’ve got a 5-year lease, so we can’t get rid of them.”

 

Risha and Akaavi just looked at each other, with looks that screamed  _ “Please.” _

 

“We’ll take it. How much is the asking price?”

 

Marlieen turned to her computer console. “Well, normally it’d be 1.5 million credits, but in our attempts to sell the place we reduced it to 250,000 about 6 months ago, and since I told my boss about your actions in helping to bring down the Voidwolf, he’s authorized me to lower the price even further. Our offer is 5,000 credits.”

 

“We’ll take it.”

 

\----

 

Back at the Coliseum, Corso and Guss had eaten their way through about half their food as the VCL vehicles wrecked the obstacle course and each other in search of glory. The Zone Riders’ monowheel vehicles ran circles around the obstacles, while Armed Force and Bigfoot were in a tussle, with Armed Force trying to use its’ claw to toss Bigfoot overhead, but it was having issues in lifting such a huge vehicle!

 

_ “And Armed Force is having a tough time with Bigfoot! It’s clamped its’ claw down but Bigfoot isn’t giving up! It’s swerving all over and--- uh-oh, we’ve got some intruders! Here come the Black Widows!” _

 

A group of equally bizarre looking combat vehicles emerged from one of the entry tunnels, cannons locked on and firing away at the Zone Riders. But the Zone Riders were too nimble, and avoided the blasts!

 

Meanwhile, the Rhino was having to deal with a problem of its’ own-- the Switchblade, belonging to V.E.N.O.M., a helicopter-jet hybrid. It was firing missiles at the Rhino, which narrowly missed them and hit some random barrels instead. The Rhino promptly sprouted guns from all over its’ structure and began firing at the Switchblade!

 

“Woo, yeah! Guss, you were right, this kicks total ass! We’ve gotta get merchandise when we’re done here!” Guss nodded, then took a huge gulp of his beer. “I’m telling you, Corso, this’ll be popular all over the galaxy! It’s way better than podracing is!”

 

\----

 

Prin and Bow had stopped vacuuming and dusting for the moment to tackle a stubborn problem-- something was wedged inside one of the vents, and they couldn’t figure out how to get it out of there!

 

“OK, Bow, you grab me and start pulling until that… whatever it is budges! On three! One, two, three!”

 

Even with the Wookiee’s strength, the object wasn’t cooperating, as Prin and Bow lost control and tumbled into a computer console!

 

“Ow.” Prin commented, rubbing his back where he hit the console. “I am perplexed, Prindrohi. Whatever the item is, it is blocking a crucial vent that releases the air in the ship in case of emergency. We must find a way to get rid of it!”

 

Then Ceetoo walked over. “Master Prindrohi, I believe I have a solution.” Ceetoo then reached over to the console, and started messing around with it. The object suddenly tumbled out-- it was a case of algarine dry wine! “Whoa, this is from Alderaan! We must’ve gotten it there, but I can’t figure out how got stuck in the vent.”

 

“I think I can answer that, boss.”

 

Corso and Guss came into view, laden with merchandise for the VCL. “What did you do, Corso?”

 

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “Well, back on Balmorra, I was busy recalibrating the weaponry when I noticed this really awful smell. I tracked it down to that vent, and I wedged the first empty box I could find in it to stop the smell, and after Miss Spar arrived, I kinda just blanked on it.”

 

Prin sighed, then knelt down and looked into the vent. “Well, I think we found the source of the smell.” He pulled out a dead rock shrew! “Ew! I dunno when this thing got in there, must’ve been when we were on Coruscant the last time.” Prin walked over to a hidden floor chute, and dropped the carcass inside-- it would be jettisoned later.

 

Guss then began dumping the armload of merch he and Corso had gotten, including hats, shirts and giant drink containers. “So, where were you guys again? Bow only said you were at some sporting event.” Prin asked.

 

Corso just held up his MyComm and began playing a holo.  _ “And Armed Force has switched targets to the Switchblade! It’s activating its’ stack-and-attack mode! Meanwhile, the Thunderhawk has flown onto the scene to assist the Rhino against the Black Widows!” _

 

Prin saw all sorts of bizarre craft and vehicles blasting at each other and jumping off ramps. “That’s what we were at, Cap’n. The Vehicular Combat League, it’s all about these crazy vehicles as they race, smash and raise all kinds of hell! Next time they have an event, we’re taking you and Bow with us, it’s way better in person than by holo.”

 

“Well, boys, I hope we aren’t interfering in your testosterone poisoning.” Risha stepped into the room along with Akaavi, both holding assorted shopping bags. Prin rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry Rish, it was just these two who were poisoning us-- mainly because me and Bow unblocked a vent that Corso forgot about.”

 

Risha turned to Corso, eyebrow raised. “Don’t ask.” Corso folded his arms and looked away, embarrassed.

 

“Anyway,” Akaavi announced, “we have made a purchase everybody will appreciate. MyPads.” At the others’ confused looks, she and Risha passed them out to everybody. “CEC decided to upsize the MyComms to a normal datapad size. They are very handy, and we got a bulk deal.”

 

“Sweet, these things will be handy for sure!” As he turned his on, Prin noticed how Risha was still grinning. It was suspicious. “Risha, is there something else you’re hiding from us?”

 

\----

 

_ “Risha, I literally can’t believe you got a good deal on this!” _ Prin yelled, muffled by the speeders flying past the balcony of their new apartment, the others all standing around, with Corso, Guss and Bow in awe at the view.

 

“Seriously, how did you pull this off? Blackmail? Extortion? Something worse?” Prin said as he leaped down from the elevated part of the balcony.

 

“Nothing so… incriminating. It was a combination of several factors, including being the girlfriend of the Voidhound.” Risha replied. 

 

Bow clapped Prin on the shoulder, albeit as lightly as he could. “It looks like your new nickname is already starting to pay off for you.”

 

“Well, it’ll be nice to have a permanent home.” Corso said. “We’ve got a home base, a stronghold, all that stuff. We can all have our own rooms, too!”

 

Akaavi nodded. “I will admit, it would be nice to not sleep inside a room filled with men who literally stink. Clearly, we need to spray some air freshener aboard the Boundless.”

 

Risha began tapping her MyPad. “I’ve arranged for a top moving company to move our personal items and a boatload of furniture and fixtures I’ve purchased to begin tomorrow. We may stay here for a while, so consider this an extended vacation.”

 

Prin smiled. “Well, after all we’ve done, I think we all need a little break. But we’re still gonna go out and explore this crazy galaxy. Because we’re the Boundless.” He then held his hand out, and Risha put her hand on his. Corso, Bow, Akaavi and Guss all followed suit.

 

Prin’s smile went wide. “Whoa, BOUNDLESS!” Everybody threw their hands in the air, cheering and clapping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From here on out, the canon game goes out the window-- none of the expansions are part of the storyline (mainly because A: depressing stuff happens, including the sacking of Dubrillion, and B: I can't play those levels because I don't subscribe). This frees me from having to fit stuff around the smuggler storyline.
> 
> Anyway, I've continued my plan of making the Boundless crew more close-knit, hence more unusual pairings this time out.
> 
> The "Hololine News" bit is based off of HLN when it wasn't 24/7 Forensics Files-- back in 1999 they decided to institute sectioned dayparts into the network's schedule. They called them "Watches" and color-coded them, to presumably reinforce the fact that Headline News never stopped, it just rotated anchors and staff. Sadly it only lasted until the infamous 2001 revamp of the network (when it started going downhill IMO).
> 
> I decided to give Prindrohi a last name, since it just felt awkward that he only had one name.
> 
> The MyPads I felt were a natural evolution of the MyComms I'd introduced earlier.
> 
> The VCL thing started out as a whole plot involving characters from Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors as rival swoop racing gangs (since the characters were kinda knockoffs of Star Wars characters to start), but evolved into an event involving crazy stuff from a multitude of 80s toylines because... well, why the hell not?
> 
> And the whole handstack thing at the end references both Power Rangers (where it occurred multiple times, mainly in the first season), and Married with Children (the "Whoa" part of it).


	13. Moving on Up

It was now a week since they had begun moving into the Stronghold (Corso’s nickname had stuck), and things were progressing nicely. Most of their stuff had been easy to move, and the furniture and all sorts of other things had arrived quickly.

 

Corso was the first up this morning, so he was down in the kitchen, making some caf, when Prin came in, yawning hugely. “Oh, morning Corso.”

 

“Hey Prin, you want some caf?” “Yes please.” The caf helped jolt Prin out of his usual morning zombie state, and he went over to the fridge to see what they had in store. Thankfully there was a HyperMart close by that they could use to stock up on food and perishables.

 

“Hey Cap’n. I’ve noticed that we haven’t hung out much lately, between your relationship with Miss Drayen and all the crap involving the Voidwolf. You wanna go explore around the area today?”

 

Prin, in the middle of eating a bagel he’d found, nodded his head. “Sure, Corso. I’m free, I got our free-trader’s license yesterday, and Risha says she’ll be busy all day. She’s gonna be busy researching all sorts of people on Dubrillion, trying to secure allies and stuff.”

 

“Yes, I-  _ yawn _ \- will. Where’s the caf?” Speak of the devil, Risha walked in, a fancy looking bathrobe pulled tight around her (as opposed to Corso’s pajamas with patterns of starships on them, and Prin’s simple t-shirt and sweatpants). She looked better than they did this early, but she was still in need of caf.

 

“Thanks.” Taking a mug from Prin, she practically inhaled the stimulating substance. “Yeah, my day’s gonna be pretty boring-- last of the furniture and some of the stuff I’ve kept in my old residence on Dantooine are coming in today, I’ve got research to do on Dubrillion nobles, and all sorts of paperwork to fill out regarding our new free-trader classification.”

 

“What about the others?” Corso asked, munching on an energy bar. “Uh, Bowdaar’s bringing Ceetoo in here later today, Guss is getting equipment for a medbay here, and Akaavi’s… uh, I have no idea what she’s up to. But, we got the whole day to ourselves, so let’s go!”

 

\----

 

Soon, Corso and Prin were at the spaceport, just watching the speeders, swoops and starships whizzing by, docking and occasionally malfunctioning.

 

“Man, Corso, this is… relaxing.” Prin said. “It’s like, all this time we’ve been stuck in hyperspace, and now we can finally revert to our sublight engines.”

 

“Yeah, I know what you mean, Prin. It’s pretty refreshing, not to have to go somewhere in search of someone or something, having to stop someone evil from doing something really nasty, it kinda got repetitive after a while.”

 

Prin then pulled out his new MyPad and began futzing around with it. “Anyway, I’ve decided that maybe we should give the Boundless a repaint; the orange and silver look is kinda old, don’t you think?”

 

Corso looked at the MyPad, and saw that Prin had used an app to give the Boundless a virtual repaint-- now it was a really deep blue, almost black, with gold accents. It looked good. “Yeah, though I think we need to advertise you being the Voidhound somehow--”

 

Prin held his hand up. “No, I want to avoid that. I want to take on jobs based on our skill and experience in cargo, not just what I did to stop an evil bastard.”

 

Corso looked at him like he was crazy. “C’mon boss, don’t you want to--” “No.”

 

Corso looked away, clearly disappointed. He decided to change the subject. “So, what do you wanna go do? I mean, we’ve got plenty of time.”

 

Prin pondered. “Hmm. Well, there’s this place called the Block Party over about 3 blocks, it’s a huge complex that offers all sorts of activities-- bowling, hologames, VR, laser tag, darts, pool, sabacc,--”

 

“Oh hell, yeah! They got darts! Let’s go already!”

 

\----

 

Back at the stronghold, Risha was in the middle of setting up her new office. She had a desk, a big holoprojector, some seats, a big nerf-leather chair for her, and all sorts of fancy decorations. Right now, she was scrolling through a list of nobles to contact.

 

“Let’s see, there’s Viscountess Devin and Viscount Fortin, but they’ve been known to voice a lot of support of Actavarus’ more tyrannical policies. They’re out.”

 

As she continued browsing through the lists, Ceetoo (who had been brought in by Bowdaar-- carried over his shoulder) entered, a tray of tea and biscuits in his hands. “Master Risha, here are the refreshments you requested. And I have to inform you, it seems that--”

 

A muffled explosion shook the stronghold, sending Risha’s chair wheeling away until it hit the window. (Thankfully, Ceetoo had set the serving tray down and it was unharmed.)

 

Picking himself up, Ceetoo resumed, now with a sense of resignation in his voice: “-- the VCL drivers are experimenting with their engines again.”

 

Risha, annoyed, scooted her chair back to the desk. “I knew it was a good idea to have the soundproofing and explosion-proofing installed. I’d better talk to them, see if they can cut down on their destructive habits.”

 

“That seems highly unlikely, Master Risha. From what I understand, the VCL is inherently destructive. I cannot offer any more suggestions on this topic.” With that, Ceetoo left the room.

 

Risha promptly returned to her noble checking, and brought up another entry, a Count Merritt Rineld. Cross-referencing his entry on the HoloNet with Dubrillion’s favored publication, the  _ Radiance Transponder, _ she read up on his actions. He gave to charities, built orphanages, created wildlife preserves, and those were merely his hobbies. His day job was running a well-regarded holoentertainment company, RineldComm, built by his father over the past century. His father, Richard Rineld, had started merely with a satellite relay station in the Southern portion of Eba (Dubrillion’s primary landmass), and had expanded into a news service, multiple holochannels based around different genres of entertainment and information, and production and distribution of holofilms and series, among other ventures.

 

“Huh. Seems like this Rineld fellow just might be who I need in an ally to take back Dubrillion. Better put calling him on my to-do list.”

 

\----

 

The Block Party was like a beacon to everyone in its’ radius-- a giant rectangular building covered in bright lights, signage and people streaming in and out. Prin and Corso had no issue finding it.

 

As they got off the speeder taxi, they just stood there, entranced by it. “Well, c’mon Corso, we gotta get in before we get knocked over standing!” The duo promptly rushed into the crazy revolving entrance.

 

They were greeted by dim lighting, the pounding of loud music, glowing lights, and tons of people. It was dizzying.

 

“Where do you want to go first!” Prin yelled of the near-deafening noise. “Wherever the darts are !” Corso and Prin promptly began looking around for the darts, which they assumed had to be somewhere. But they had managed to cram so much stuff and so many people in here, it was mind-boggling!

 

They wandered into an area marked “Services”, where kiosks lay and staffers were fielding questions from customers behind a huge desk. “Maybe one of these kiosks can tell us where the darts are.” Prin approached one, and tapped the screen. “Welcome to the Block Party! Please select an option.” A list of various options appeared, and a “First Time Here?” option topped it. Prin selected it, and inserted his credit chip as instructed.

 

He promptly got a temporary app beamed to his MyComm, which provided a guide around the Block Party; he took the chip and he and Corso proceeded back into the chaos.

 

“Man, this place is more crowded than a Nar Shaddaa cantina.” Corso muttered as he and Prin darted between sections of the crowds. They managed to get to the billiards area, and hanging on a nearby wall was a dartboard! “Yes! C’mon Prin, I’m about to whoop your ass at the game of bullseyes!”

 

They managed to get through several groups of pool players to reach the dartboard, only to find a blonde-haired woman already there. “Uh, excuse us, but are you playing with someone else, or--”

 

“Well, I haven’t heard those tones in quite a while.” Prin and Corso gaped. “Beryl Thorne!” Prin exclaimed. She nodded, a bit of a smug look on her face. “Yep, in the flesh.”

 

\----

 

Back at the stronghold, Bowdaar was making a spare room into a training area. He was busy setting up a row of target dummies for blasters (he’d already used many of the crates and boxes they’d used to move their belongings and the new furniture to create larger target dummies for physical combat) when Akaavi walked in.

 

“I see you’re making sure that our skills don’t rust with disuse while we stay here.” Akaavi said. Bow turned around and roared. “That’s right! I want to stay active even as we rest our laurels after all our travails!”

 

Akaavi nodded. “I agree wholeheartedly with this plan.” 

 

The duo promptly began beating the crap out of the target dummies, while one floor above, Risha was contemplating more nobles to investigate.

 

Another explosion shook the office from below, sending Risha’s chair into the wall again. Annoyed, she scooted her chair back into place. “OK, now let’s check the latest news from Dubrillion…”

 

Checking the holofeed of the  _ Transponder _ (the largest holonews service in Dubrillion’s capital, Radiance City), she surmised that Actavarus wasn’t doing so well. While the Republic/Empire war hadn’t affected trade for the planet all that much, it was the incompetence and tyranny of the higher ups that were causing issues. The Minister of Finance was slowly draining the King’s coffers dry thanks to short-sighted moves and bungled projects, while the Prime Minister was attempting to sway the Directory (the parliament) into blindly following him and Actavarus’

stupid laws that were designed to benefit them alone. As a result, rumors of a possible resistance movement were swirling, and the common populace, as well as many nobles, were dissatisfied with the current state of Dubrillion.

 

“It looks like my coronation might be sooner rather than later.” Risha muttered.

 

As she continued perusing news from Dubrillion, Akaavi and Bowdaar had finally smashed all of their target dummies. Both were somewhat exhausted from all their staff and sword swinging.

 

“We need a recharge, Akaavi. I believe we stocked up on energy drinks, however. To the kitchen!”

 

\----

 

Prin and Corso couldn’t believe that Beryl Thorne was back. “We haven’t seen you since Quesh!”

 

She sauntered over to them. “And I’ve heard you managed to take down the big, bad Voidwolf all by yourself, Mr. Candaren.”

 

“Stop trying to throw yourself at me, Beryl. I’m in a committed relationship now.” Prin crossed his arms as Beryl stepped back, a dawning look on her face.

 

“So you and Risha…?” Prin nodded. “Huh, I was wondering if you two would ever spit it out. I could see the tension hanging in the air the last time.”

 

Corso then stepped over to the dartboard and he scanned his MyComm at the pay station, and the scoreboard above promptly began displaying his name against Beryl’s.

 

“Now, how about we get to what we came here for? A nice game of darts.”

 

“Hmm, a darts man? I always have been interested in darts, especially how straight and tough they are.” Beryl purred, eyes locking on Corso, who began sweating nervously.

 

“So, how did you get here anyway? Last we saw you and that Ozzik guy we’d just managed to save you from the Voidwolf’s tagging thing. Clearly we’ve missed some stuff.” Prin asked.

 

As she threw her first dart at the board, Beryl began explaining. “Well, after we escaped Quesh, we joined up with this guy who was exporting this new drug from Kuat--”

 

Corso cut her off. “It isn’t called canny, is it?”

 

Beryl knowingly smirked. “Well, it seems you two have already encountered it.” “Yeah, we’re familiar.”

 

“Anyway, he’s been exporting it, and we managed to avoid the Voidwolf’s scrutiny, mainly because you were messing up his operations. Then, after you killed that son-of-a-Hutt and blew up his ship, we decided it was safe to head for Coruscant and see the potential market for canny. It’s nice to have a drug that isn’t produced by giant spiders, way easier to make and distribute.”

 

“Well, yeah. So how long have you been here?” Prin said.

 

She tossed another dart at the board. “About a week or so. We managed to hook up with a decent canny supplier. Thanks to the war with the Empire, canny’s managed to stay under the radar and we’re doing brisk business.”

 

Beryl exhausted her dart supply, and sat down. “OK, Mr. Riggs, it’s your turn.”

 

After a while, Corso was forced to concede victory to Beryl, the score 25 for Beryl, 104 for Corso. He grumbled under his breath as Beryl gloated. “Well, I guess you’re not so superior at darts after all, Mr. Riggs.”

 

Then, Prin’s MyComm rang. “Hello? Oh, Rish. Uh-huh. Sure, we’re on our way.”  He turned to Corso. “Looks like Risha wants us back at the stronghold, we’d better catch a taxi before she puts a bounty on our heads.”

 

\----

  
  


Risha, Bow, Akaavi and Guss were in the kitchen, debating on what to do for dinner. “Why don’t we go out somewhere? There’s gotta be a buffet somewhere.” Guss asked.

 

Bowdaar laughed. “My friend, if a buffet staff saw a Wookiee approach, they would immediately pretend to be closed. Us Wookiees can devour entire buffet trays!”

 

“How about a nice bantha-burger joint? I haven’t had bantha meat in quite some time.” Akaavi supplied, a wistful look on her face.

 

“Hello, my excellent companions!” Prin walked in, Corso trailing behind, looking warily over his shoulder. “So, what’s so important you interrupted our excursion to the Block Party?”

 

“We’re trying to decide where we should go to eat.” Risha said, casually leafing through a flimsiplast pamphlet on choice eateries in the Senate District.

 

“Well, maybe our old friend Beryl can help us choose.” And in she strode, looking around at the huge surroundings. “Hey there Risha, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

 

Risha promptly dropped her pamphlet. “Wait-- _Beryl?!!_ _How- where- what the?_ ” It was rare to see Risha confused, and Prin held back a ton of laughter.

 

“Yeah, we ran into her at the Block Party, apparently after Quesh she invested in the canny trade. She found her way to Coruscant and has been testing the waters for canny.” Corso said, still eyeing the blonde warily.

 

Beryl strode up to Risha. “Well, it is nice to see you again. And Prin was nice enough to fill me in on what you’ve been up to,” poking Risha in the chest for added emphasis. “Apparently, you’re a secret queen, or crown princess, in exile and you’re planning on taking your planet back.”

 

“Really, Prin?” Risha asked, exasperated. He shrugged. “I thought that since you two were always…. kinda-sorta friends, I could let her in on the plan-- which, I should note, I’ve given a codename. Operation: Bold Grace.”

 

“OK, aside from the codename-- which I’ll admit does sound good-- you really should’ve called me when you first saw her, that way I could’ve approached her with the info on my own terms.”

 

Clapping her hands, Beryl decided to change the subject. “So, I see you’ve acquired some new faces since I saw you on Taris. Any of you guys wanna get in on the canny?”

 

\----

 

Soon, everybody (except Bowdaar, who fled for his room, not wanting another bad reaction to the canny like last time) was gathered around the circular table in the living room, once again baking under the canny’s influence like a loaf of bread.

 

“Ha-ha-ha, I forgot how awesome this stuff was.” Prin said, swaying around. “Thank you Beryl, for bringing it back to us.”

 

Like last time, one of them had set up a MyComm in the center of the table, and it swiveled around, tracking the canny joint, but it just missed it, turning towards Beryl, who was sitting next to Corso, again for him rather close. “Yep, I made sure to get a variety that wouldn’t have any nasty side effects, at least among us humans.” She then promptly started snaking her hands around Corso. “Uh, Miss Thorne, could you please not…”

 

The MyComm swiveled again, to reveal Akaavi and Guss sitting next to each other. Akaavi seemed to be really tripping, while Guss was scarfing down a slice of pizza. “I- does anybody else see this? My skin, it’s red and black! Is this permanent? And what about these little tiny horns on top of my head? Where’s my hair?”  Meanwhile, Guss was taking a big bite of another pizza slice. “Yum, this stuff is good. Why am I so hungry?”

 

The MyComm turned again, to Risha, who looked less enthused than the others. “I think I’m starting to adapt to this stuff. Better than the last time we tried it. And before you ask, turns out Corso accidentally shared that video of the last time to me before he deleted it. So….”

 

The MyComm turned back to Prin. “Hey, you ever wonder what it would be like if… if…. Huh, I totally forgot what I was thinking about. Hehehehe.”

 

Beryl took over again. “Hey, I’ve wondered, whatever happened to Vette? Back in the day, she was me and Risha’s best friend, we went everywhere together, causing trouble, scamming people, all that good stuff. After Nok’s empire broke down we just kinda lost touch.”

 

“I actually holoed her earlier this week, she’s doing fine. Though… she’s married to a Sith Lord. I wish I was making that part up.” Risha admitted.

 

Corso’s jaw dropped. “So, your old friend somehow got hitched with a Sith? This galaxy is  _ crazy _ .”

 

“I’m pretty sure I look like a Sith, don’t I guys?” Akaavi asked, still tripping balls. Guss’ eyes, meanwhile, seem to have gotten even wider and larger at Risha’s reveal. “Well, let’s hope the Sith stays away from me. He could probably smell the Jedi on me from a hundred paces!”

 

Prin then reached out to Risha and pulled her into a one-armed hug. “Well, I think it’s time we welcome Beryl into our little group, don’t you think, honey?” Risha just gave him a “don’t ever call me that” stare, but he didn’t notice.

 

“Well, hey, I’m glad to join, from what I understand you guys are always getting into some crazy thing. Corso, didn’t you and the girl over there defeat some giant monster a while ago?” Beryl asked.

 

“Yeah, that was… pretty damn weird, even by our standards.”

 

The next morning, Corso woke up, with him and Beryl on the couch. He felt like his head had been in a blender. Beryl, however, seemed none the worse for wear. “Um, did we…?”

 

“No, we didn’t. I like you, Mr. Riggs, but I wouldn’t take advantage of anyone under the influence of canny.” With that Beryl rose up and went to the kitchen for some caf.

 

Corso turned and saw Bowdaar passing by on his way to the kitchen. “Well, it looks like our lives have taken yet another complicated turn. Sometimes, it seems all we can do is hope we survive the next disaster.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, Beryl's back! I just randomly thought of her, and I decided to bring her in to help balance the male-to-female ratio in the cast. I'm also thinking of ways to help her better integrate into the other plots. Also for this chapter, I decided to focus on Prin and Corso, since we hadn't seen much of them being best buds yet.
> 
> The Block Party was an actual place in the 90s-- Blockbuster, the now-defunct video rental chain, started a couple in Indianapolis and Albuquerque in the mid-90s, but sadly they never got off the ground. It was crazy awesome sounding, i would've gone there. Read more here: http://www.factfiend.com/the-awesome-idea-blockbuster-never-got-off-the-ground/
> 
> I'm laying the groundwork for the future Dubrillion arc in earnest here, and Count Rineld's going to be a major character, though I'm changing him around a bit. The company he runs is a reference to Turner Broadcasting, his father being like their galaxy's equivalent to Ted Turner.
> 
> And I decided to bring back the circle too, mainly because it's funny to see the Boundless crew stoned, especially Akaavi.
> 
> Note: from here on out, updates may become more sparse, me and my father's job is about to heat up (mainly because the weather seems to be stabilizing) and I'm not gonna have much time to work on this (or my other fics).


	14. Corso Ruins Everything

“OK, so where should I hide my Life Day presents for Risha…” Prin wondered as he went onboard the Boundless. He couldn’t hide them anywhere in the Stronghold, she’d find them easily as they’d thoroughly mapped the place and Risha would know of any potential hiding places.

 

“Obviously the engine room is out, so’s the master bedroom…” Prin walked down the hallway, briefly glancing at the Life Day presents he’d gotten for Risha in his bag. He’d used his own money to buy her some jewelry-- it would mean more to her than what she inherited from her father, maybe-- and a new, expanded engine toolkit.

 

He glanced around, but then he tripped over something, and stumbled a bit. “Oh, damn.” He looked down and saw that one of the under-floor smuggling compartments was partially open. Then it clicked! “Of course, these smuggling compartments will do the trick!” He knelt down and unlocked another compartment, carefully stashing the objects inside and sealing the compartment.

 

“OK, that’s one item off my to-do list.”

 

As he exited the Boundless, he saw Risha approaching from the hangar door, dressed in her typical ship repair attire: faded coveralls, jeans, work boots and a bandanna. “Uh, Rish, what’re you doing here?” He asked, hoping she wouldn’t notice the tiny amount of nervousness in his voice, she could often pick up on the slightest voice inflections.

 

“Gotta run a diagnostic on the turret rotation system, I think something’s stuck in there.” She replied.

 

Prin made a face. “Is that where that awful noise came from?”

 

Risha nodded. “Yeah. So what were you doing here?”

 

“I was looking for something I left on here a while ago.” He promptly held up the item in question-- a blaster rifle. “It’s one of mine from before Ord Mantell. I’m gonna hang it up in the armory as a relic, kinda.”

 

“OK then. Run along, you don’t want to be around the noise I’m gonna produce in trying to fix the turret gears.” Prin promptly began running off towards the speeder he left.

 

As Risha boarded the ship, she thought how forgetful Prin could be sometimes. “Of course, I have no room to argue, I completely forgot about selling my old house on Dantooine until I got the reliquary.”

 

She then set her toolbox down and looked around for a moment, before locating one of the smuggling compartments. “This should do nicely.” She opened her toolbox and took out her Life Day presents for Prin-- a pair of flight boots (he’d expressed interest in extreme sports equipment, flight boots being the newest kinds), and a set of datacards with his favorite holofilms on them. She found a compartment, slid it open and carefully set the items inside before shutting it.

 

\----

 

A few hours later, Risha emerged from the Boundless, covered in grease and other fluids, smiling from the satisfaction of working to repair her ship (well, it was Prin’s ship, but technicalities). She loved working on it by herself-- it allowed her to vent frustrations and feelings without anybody else hearing.

 

As she walked down the ramp, she saw Corso on his way, strangely. “Hey, Miss Risha, can you leave it open for me?”

 

“What did you leave onboard?” Risha asked in a deadpan fashion.

 

“Uh, some stuff I forgot I had in the bunk room. Why?” Corso replied. “Prin was in here earlier, he had to retrieve a misplaced blaster of his.”

 

“Ah.” Corso nodded. “Well, here are the keys. Lock up when you’re done.” Risha promptly handed him one of the activation cylinders used to start the engines, and a small remote used for securing the ship attached to it at one end.

 

As he boarded the Boundless, he thought to himself-- about how despite all the crazy stuff they’d been through, from their humble beginnings on Ord Mantell through to defeating the Voidwolf over Corellia, the Boundless had weathered the storms and come out victorious.

 

He then focused on his real objective, finding his old stash of “special holofilms”, to put it politely. He hadn’t had a use for them in a while (Beryl’s arrival had changed things), but he figured it’d be better to have them if needed at the Stronghold rather than on the ship.

 

He then entered the bunk room, locating the bunk he habitually slept in, on the bottom left when you enter. He then headed for a panel in the wall and opened it to reveal a storage area-- though intended for maintenance purposes, a screw-up in manufacturing by CEC left it unconnected to anything, and the ships were hastily modified to box the area out, and subsequently references to it were removed from documentation. Corso had found it while setting up his stuff, and made sure no one else knew about it. He used it stash away his special items, including said “special” datacards.

 

Reaching into the compartment, he quickly grabbed the handful of datacards and stuffed them into his pockets. He then shut the compartment and walked out. “OK, I’ll hide them in my room and no one will have to know.”

 

But as he walked around the main hallway he tripped over something, sending Corso to the floor. “Augh, damn.” 

 

He got up and saw that two of the smuggling compartments under the floor didn’t seem to have been closed right. “Guess I gotta fix it before we start injuring ourselves.” He opened both compartments to realign the covers, but he noticed the objects inside. “Huh, I guess we put these in here and they never got delivered. Might as well take them with me, see what Prin or Risha might do with them.”

 

\----

 

_ Life Day, a week later _

 

“Um, Rish--” “OK, Prin--” They both stopped for a second. “Uh, you go first Rish.”

 

It was going so well. They’d quickly decorated the Stronghold, Bowdaar had made them an excellent Life Day feast, Beryl had gotten her hands on a massive tree (when asked how, she simply waved it off, saying “some things are best left unknown”). But this was where things went off the tracks-- her presents for Prin had  _ vanished _ . She’d checked all the smuggling compartments and no sign of them.

 

“Well, I’d gotten you presents, but they’re gone. I don’t know where they went. I’m really sorry, Prin.”

 

Prin just stared for a couple seconds, before he began giggling, which escalated into flat-out laughter. Risha looked insulted. “You really find this funny?”

 

“Yes, because that’s what happened to me!” “What?” Risha yelled as Prin continued to fall apart laughing at the irony.

 

“Yep, whoo.” Prin shook the laughter off, then got a serious look on his face. “I can’t explain it. I put my presents for you in one of the underfloor smuggling compartments, but when I went to get them yesterday to wrap, they were missing!” Prin explained.

 

In the back of the room, Corso, who’d been messing around with his new dart blaster, suddenly looked like he was going to soil himself. He promptly bolted out of the room, and Prin and Risha noticed. “Uh, Corso, where are you going….” Prin trailed off as he realized something. “You don’t think….”

 

Risha just facepalmed. “Corso, you idiot.”

 

Corso returned a few minutes later, Prin and Risha’s presents to each other in his arms. “Sorry guys, I thought this was undelivered merchandise we forgot about. I didn’t think you guys would hide your presents aboard the Boundless…”

 

“Of course we would!” Risha shouted! “I made detailed floorplans and I knew that Prin would probably find them quickly!”

 

“And I knew that since she made the floorplans, ergo Risha would quickly find my presents for her too!” Prin said, not wanting to shout since in this case, Corso simply didn’t know anything.

 

“I’m sorry guys…” Corso shrank back, looking like a wounded animal.

 

Risha’s expression softened. “Well, maybe we wouldn’t be so angry at you if we’d checked the security feeds…” Risha looked sheepish.

 

“I did, Rish-- the compartments we chose were in a blind spot from the cameras.” Prin said. “But here, I got you these. I bought them with my own money, I thought you’d want something personal.” Risha opened the jewelry box to find a pair of bracelets with images of Dubrillion and the Boundless laser-etched and colored onto them. “Prin, you’ve outdone yourself.” She then opened the hexagonal toolbox, to find a whole new set of enhanced starship tools and other implements. “And I appreciate what you’ve given me. Now it’s your turn….”

 

She then handed Prin his new boots. “Boots, Well, Rish, you have always tended towards the functional end of items…”

 

“Put the boots on, then concentrate.” He donned the boots, then he sensed something in his HUD--  “No way!” Repulsorlift boosters then extended out from the backs of the boots, with small maneuvering vanes sprouting from the sides! “Flight boots! Alright! This’ll make combat a hell of a lot more fun, I can take aim from the air and mow down mooks like there’s no tomorrow!” The flight boots ignited and Prin began hovering slightly, before rising up! “Wow, I can actually go up to the ceiling!” Prin marveled.

 

“I also got you these, heads up!” Prin promptly flew down a bit to catch the objects-- “All my favorite films on holocard! Woo-hoo! Thanks, Rish!” As Prin began flying around the room in celebration, Bowdaar, Akaavi, Guss and Beryl looked on.

 

“Well, I would say today has been a very successful Life Day.” Bowdaar rumbled. “Even if that idiot Riggs nearly jeopardized Prindrohi and Miss Drayen’s gift exchange.” Akaavi remarked.

 

“Well, I know something, we still have to prepare for New Year’s. I’ve already got repulsorlifts full of booze in the garage.” Beryl said, as Prin picked Risha up around her mid-section, flying up to the top of the room once more.

 

“Well then I’ll prep the medbay for lots of alcohol and food-related injuries.” Guss stated. “I know Corso’s gonna get wasted.”

 

From the top of the room, Prin looked down. “Yeah, just make a biobed for Corso to go to when the party’s over.”

 

“Hey, c’mon, Prin!” Ignoring Corso, he turned to Risha and triumphantly kissed her. “This has been the best Life Day I’ve ever had, Prin.” Risha said in a whisper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, I'm not dead. I've got a whole slew of chapters planned-- it's just between life and the countless other ideas my mind can create, I'm just not sure if I can get to any of them. For now, consider this a present-- Merry Christmas or whatever holiday you celebrate!


	15. Ticket to More

Prin entered the stronghold, a few shopping bags in hand. “Oh, there you are, Mr. Drohi. I was wondering where you’d went.” Guss said.

 

“Yeah, I went shopping, on Risha’s orders. Is the medbay ready yet, Guss?” Nodding, Prin followed him down to the new medbay, located on the second floor. “Here we are!” It was full of biobeds, new medical tools and instruments, and cabinets with supplies. “I got some good deals on surplus equipment and supplies from Coruscant General Hospital-- they recently expanded but overestimated how much in the way of stuff they would need. I managed to get it at their surplus fire sale!”

 

“Nice one, Guss. Looks like our bargaining ways are instilling themselves in you.” Prin said, impressed by the slick, shiny equipment. It was incredibly clean, but once they needed to use this stuff, it wouldn’t be anymore.

 

“Hey guys.” Corso came in, sounding stuffed up. “Ooh, perfect time to break in the medbay! C’mon Mr. Riggs, over here…”

 

Prin left the medbay, not wanting to get sick from whatever Corso had. He wandered out and onto the balcony, where he sat and watched the traffic fly by. It was soothing, like watching hyperspace for some people.

 

Suddenly, he felt a tap on his shoulder. It was Risha. “Hey, Prin. Did you get those things I wanted?” He handed the bags to her. “Yep, and I dunno what’s in them-- with you, I find it better to not ask questions.”

 

“An excellent policy. But, this concerns you as well. Come with me.” They headed to the master bedroom, where Risha promptly began looking through the bags. “Here we are, a suitable outfit for you tonight.” 

 

Prin looked confused as she pulled out a tuxedo. “What are we doing tonight?” he asked, eyeing the outfit warily. “I’ve purchased tickets to one of the most popular variety shows in town and made reservations for two at one of the finest restaurants in the Senate District. If we are to be royalty, we have to learn how to be high-class-- I will admit, though this is mainly for your benefit, I myself need to brush up on the finer things in life, having been mainly concentrating on reclaiming my legacy and all the other things we’ve been involved in. So, go shower, dress and all the adjuncts to those two items-- I’ll be busy preparing my own ensemble in the guest bedroom to keep some surprise.”

 

With that, Risha took the other bags and left the room, leaving a thoroughly confused Prin standing alone, holding a tuxedo on a hangar. “What the hell just happened?” he questioned, shaking his head.

 

\-----

 

Soon enough, Prin was all decked out in his new tuxedo-- and he had to admit, he cleaned up pretty nicely. “Wow, I can’t believe this actually works on me.”

 

“Well, I knew you had the capability. We just needed to uncover it.” Prin turned around and gasped-- Risha walked in, wearing a stunning evening dress. She was a sight to behold; it was a sleek thing, dark blue with little in the way of embellishments, glittering jewelry at her neck, ears and even atop her head. 

 

“Wow.” That’s what Prin would’ve said-- if he wasn’t staring slack-jawed at Risha. “Hmm.” She looked amused. “It looks like my plan to knock you unconscious with my hidden beauty worked.”

 

Prin shook his head, snapping out of his trance. “Oh, sorry, it’s just… you look amazing, Rish.” She grinned, a bit smug. “I know, and you aren’t bad yourself, Voidy.” She loved teasing him with that nickname now.

 

“Anyway, our plans are for us to take in a variety show, followed by dinner. And maybe… if you behave, you might just get  _ dessert _ .” Risha purred, leaving the implications hanging in the air. Prin adjusted his tux collar nervously. “Well, uh, why don’t you lead me? I’m not exactly a master of the upper class.”

 

“Right this way.” With that, they headed to the garage, where a sleek new luxury airspeeder lay waiting. “I got the new RR-34 speeder from Incom. It’s got nerf/bantha hybrid leather, updated navicomp and autopilot, THX SenSurround audio/video, and many other features I didn’t bother to memorize.”

 

It was a polished, shiny dark red, with tinted windows and a retractable roof. It was just begging to be shown off to friends, family and complete strangers. “I can’t wait to break this baby in.” Prin rubbed his hands but Risha promptly stopped him. “Oh, no, we’re not going to treat this like our other speeders. And that means you aren’t going to upgrade it in any fashion. I ordered this thing fully loaded, it’s already got a top-of-the-line engine. I’ll set the autopilot.”

 

\----

 

Soon enough, they were relaxing inside the speeder as it wound through the typically clogged speeder lanes. Soundproofing worked wonders and all Prin and Risha could hear was the quiet music.

 

“So Prin, do you see the tiara I’m wearing?” She tipped her head forward, giving him a close-up look; it had shapes of feathers, flowers, and other assorted flora.

 

“Yeah, it’s nice looking. So what store did you get it from?” Prin asked, feeling the massage of the power seat working on his back.

 

“It’s actually from Arak Drayen’s lockbox. It was commissioned by him for his wife Ilana, and the unusual thing is, it's composed solely of metal and brass. There aren't any gems, it's only metalwork.” Risha explained, taking the tiara off and handing it to Prin.

 

“Huh, this is some good work, then.” Prin said, as he examined the tiara close up. It sparkled and shone in the light.

 

Handing the tiara back to Risha, Prin began examining the speeder’s dashboard. Holo readouts displayed their speed and other performance details, the traffic conditions and nearby attractions. “So, did you manage to get a discount on this thing like you did on the stronghold?”

 

“Yes, I did. I used both your reputation and our haggling skills to negotiate a… fair price.” Risha said, somewhat smug.

 

“Well, as long as it didn’t take a huge chunk of our stash of credits-- I know we’ve got a lot but that doesn’t mean we can go on shopping sprees.” Prin added.

 

A few minutes later, the speeder touched down, allowing Prin and Risha to debark, while the speeder began to find its’ reserved parking spot. Prin looked in recognition at the massive domed theater. “This is the Coruscant Palladium, the premiere theater venue on the planet!”

 

“You know about this place?” Risha enquired, a bit surprised.

 

“Yeah! When I was growing up, I always watched “Live from the Palladium”, it was a variety show with all sorts of cool stuff! Me and my parents never missed it! But then some new investors took over the holomedia firm that broadcast it, and they cancelled it to save money.” Prin shook his head at the executive idiocy.

 

“Well, it’s been brought back recently, and I’ve got two tickets in the upper tier of seating, where we can hobnob with other members of the upper-crust.”

 

They walked in, arm in arm, to the equally grand lobby, where people, aliens and droids were all crossing into each others’ paths, as some approached the box office for tickets, others went to the snack stands or the restrooms. Crowded didn’t begin to describe it.

 

“Don’t worry, we can avoid the crowds. There’s a special entrance for our section.” With that, Risha pulled Prin towards a side hall, notably quieter than the near-riot of the main lobby.

 

They approached a set of gold-framed double doors, marked “VIPs Only”. Risha pulled out her MyComm and activated the holotix, then waved her device in front of a scanner. The light on the scanner turned green, and the doors opened automatically.

 

They entered into a far more elegant lobby, where fancily-dressed people quietly chatted, ate appetizers and drank expensive alcohol. A concierge was providing information to groups in one corner, and in the other lay the entrance to the upper tier seating.

 

Prin and Risha approached the hor d'oeuvres table, and began inspecting the variety of food. “Uh, I don’t really know what to have here.” “Prin, just follow my lead.”

 

Soon enough, it was showtime, and everybody proceeded up to their seats, with Prin and Risha quietly discussing some of the people they had chatted with. 

 

“I liked that couple, the Harts, treasure hunting must be pretty exciting.” Prin said, his head still trying to make sense of their exploits. “Well, we did hunt for my father’s treasure.” Risha reminded him. “Yeah, but it wasn’t a normal one.” Prin countered. “Since when was treasure hunting normal?” Risha snarked.

 

They found their seats in the upper mezzanine, large, comfortable recliners that Prin and Risha could feel themselves sinking into. “Risha, we’re gonna need someone to rescue us, these chairs are way too comfy.”

 

Then, they focused on the main stage some distance away, where the curtains were drawn. The lights dimmed, and an announcer’s voice rang out.  _ “From Coruscant and all across the galaxy, it’s Live from the Palladium!” _

 

The curtains raised, revealing the backing players for the nights’ comedy skits and songs, as lights flashed and applause rang out from all sides.

 

_ “And here is your emcee, Tommy Maitland!” _ With that, a middle-aged looking human exited from the left, grinning broadly. He arrived at the center of the stage, and briefly bowed. He spoke in a strong yet friendly voice, with an accent that neither Prin or Risha could place.

 

“Hello, everyone! Now,  _ who’s a cheeky monkey? _ ” he asked the giant crowd. As if rehearsed, they promptly responded “You are!” 

 

Tommy shook his head. “No, you are! And that’s why I love you!” The crowd laughed at the familiarity of the opening routine, excepting Prin and Risha, both somewhat lost. “I don’t remember this guy being host before.” Prin whispered to Risha. “The old host retired some years back, he expressed contentment with his current occupation in being a producer behind the scenes.” she answered back.

 

“Turn on your holo, turn off your brain, we’re just here for funsies!” Tommy told the masses. “We’ve got not just a live show from the Palladium here tonight-- we’ve got a live and kicking show! There’s comedy, music, games, magic, and more than a few surprises! And without further ado, he’s our first act, he’s the one who predicts when you’re gonna laugh-- straight from the gasses of Gand, it’s Turmulax, our favorite stand-up bounty hunter!”

 

_ An hour later _

 

“Well, I gotta admit, that was fun!” Prin said, as he and Risha exited the Palladium and into their waiting speeder.

 

“Of course it was. If it wasn’t entertaining, why would I have bought tickets?” Risha said, as the speeder’s autopilot took over.

 

“Well, upper crust kinda tends to mean… boring.” Prin explained, sheepishly.

 

“That’s part of your lesson. Upper-crust things do tend to be boring, but there can be exceptions to the rule.”

 

Prin looked out the window, watching the various buildings whizzing by. “So, where to next?”

 

“We’re en route to one of Coruscant’s finest eateries, the Gilded Hawkbat. And before you ask, they actually do serve generous portions.”

 

The speeder came to a halt beside the establishment, situated atop a skyscraper for panoramic views of Galactic City. The speeder left to park itself, and Prin and Risha entered.

 

\----

 

A few minutes later, Prin and Risha were seated, waiting for their order to arrive. “So, Risha, what do you think you’ve got regarding those plans to return to Dubrillion?” Prin asked.

 

“Well, I’ve managed to arrange to meet someone. He’s a Count in the aristocracy, named Merritt Rineld. He’s a very popular man on the planet, if Actavarus tried anything he’d face backlash for sure. Thus, he seems like our most realistic option.” she explained.

 

“Wait, Rineld, as in RineldComm, one of the foremost holomedia firms? Nine hells, Rish, that guy runs a  _ lot _ of HoloNet stuff! He’s got streams, he’s got holonews, holo film and series production, I had no clue he was from all the way out on Dubrillion!” Prin exclaimed.

 

“Yes, so if we can get him as an ally, his galaxy-wide holdings could prove a boon to us.” Risha commented, as the waiter arrived. “Here you are, a chateaubriand cooked medium-well, and a glass of our finest pinot noir.”  He handed them plates of a meat dish with sides of rice and vegetables, before filling the wine glasses with a dark red wine.

 

“Mmm, this is really good.” Prin said a few minutes after as he and Risha fell silent, practically entranced by the food. “I told you, this place was one of the finest around. I wouldn’t lie to you concerning things like this.” Risha replied, taking a sip from her wine glass. 

 

”Well, you used to lie a lot, but still.” Prin said, rolling his eyes. “So, when are we supposed to meet the Count?”

 

“In about two weeks, when he comes to Coruscant for his annual appearance in the Galactic Games, he helps run it and holo-casts it. Since he largely takes a behind-the-scenes role, he should find ample time to meet with us.” Risha said.

 

“OK, then.” Prin returned to his food.  _ “Man, I’ve gotta get around to buying that… special item. If I have a chance, then it’s after this.” _ he thought.

 

\----

 

Soon enough, dinner was finished and the smuggling duo were back in the speeder. “So, where to now?”

 

“Well, my plan was to go out for dancing, but the place I wanted to go is closed for renovations for at least two weeks. So, we’re going back to the Stronghold.” Risha said, reprogramming the autopilot.

 

“Oh, OK. We’ve got some good red velvet cake recipes, you want to have that for dessert?’ Prin said, thinking about maybe making some strawberry sauce for the cake.

 

“No, when I said dessert, I meant something….  _ better. _ ” Risha said, her voice going even lower than her typically somewhat-smoky voice.

 

“Well, I don’t know what could be better than red velvet, and that’s a classy type of cake, so I thought--” He was cut-off as Risha forced her lips onto his, giving him a forceful smooch.

 

“That’s what I meant by dessert.” She said, somewhat annoyed that he couldn’t pick up the hints she dropped. Prin was stunned for a brief moment, before shaking it away. “Oh. I see then.”

 

They arrived back at the Stronghold, finding the whole place empty for once. “Where is everybody?” Prin wondered. “I sent Corso and Beryl off on a fact-finding mission about the Western Sea, and possibly purchasing a beach house there.” Risha replied.

 

“I hope she doesn’t get Corso in trouble while they’re there.” Prin added. “What about the others?” “Akaavi and Bow are off at a martial-arts studio, and Guss is at the Block Party-- he said something about a billiards tournament he wanted to get in on. Ceetoo’s having his annual checkup at the droid clinic. So it’s just you and me until the morning.” Risha then dragged Prin by the arm and straight to the bedroom.

 

They entered, and practically flopped on the bed, kissing. Risha was much more active than Prin was. “Uh, Rish.. I don’t mean to interrupt, but… have you ever…?”

 

“No.” She then settled back on the bed, setting her jewelry on the side table. “I’ll be honest. My kissing is primarily driven by hormones. I’ve never really had a relationship before you, so all I know about this is via holo-series, which were only a bit enlightening.” Risha admitted.

 

“Well, neither have I. I mean, I had a few relationships in high school, but I never got past first base. My cousin once showed me an… erotic holodrama, and I seriously don’t think that would be of much help.” Prin rubbed the back of his head, blushing.

 

“So what? We’ll both learn from each other. We’ll explore, find out what makes us tick.” Risha then began shedding her dress, revealing lacy undergarments.

 

“Alright RIsh--MMF!” She tackled Prin again and began making out once more.

 

\----

 

Prin woke up the next morning, feeling very… well, he couldn’t exactly describe it. He felt as though a weight he hadn’t been aware of had been lifted from his shoulders.

 

Then he realized what he and Risha had done last night. “Oh, wow. This has to be a dream.”

 

“Good, I was hoping you’d wake up sometime.” Risha walked in with two mugs of coffee, wearing her robe. “And I must say-- I think we both ‘performed admirably’ last night.”

 

“Well, thanks.” He took a sip of the coffee, then realized something. “Wait, how long was I…”

 

“We kept going for about an hour, you tuckered out, and it’s currently… 9:00 AM.”

 

“OK then.” He then walked over to the bathroom. Risha turned on the holoscreen on the wall and viewed a morning newscast while she waited.

 

After a few minutes, Prin emerged, freshened up. “Whoo, that’s way better.” Walking over to his dresser, he began pulling clothes out at random, when he remembered something.

 

“Hey Rish, whatever happened to that reliquary we retrieved from your father’s ship? I know we got it and hauled it back, but after all the stuff involving Skavak, I just forgot about it. I never even saw that crown of yours.”

 

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ve got it. C’mon.” She then headed for her large walk-in closet, Prin following (and getting the last of his clothes on). They headed for an unobtrusive blank section of wall, squeezed in-between shelving and hanger bars. Risha pressed her palm to the wall, and a scanner activated. The sounds of mechanisms unlocking filled the air, and the wall slowly tilted down.

 

A large, rectangular box was waiting on the other side, and it slid forward on a motorized platform. Risha then scanned her thumbprints on each side, and the box unlocked. The top lid opened.

 

“Here we are, all the items left to me by my great-grandfather Arak Drayen. I’ve got crowns, tiaras, swords, and various other odds and ends. And since you requested it…”

 

She extracted a large, silver and red crown, with velvet fabric inside the arches, and fur trim on the bottom rim. Gems were scattered about the structure, and a green oblong object topped the arches. “This is the Crown of Dubrillion. The real one. It’s been the one constant in Dubrillion’s turbulent history-- not counting my family, the Dubrillion Royal Family was overthrown about….” she paused to calculate the actual amount--”seven or eight times. Each time the Crown was kept around, mainly because everybody liked the design. It was nice, neutral and can be easily resized to fit the new monarch’s head. But when Arak Drayen was deposed, he took it, seeking to aim a final insult at Actavarus I. He subsequently had a new Crown created, and his family has claimed that as the real one ever since.”

 

“Whoa. I didn’t expect that a single crown was so bogged down in that stuff.” He then tilted his head and peered at the oblong object atop the crown. “What's this thing on top?”

 

Risha looked at it. It was green. “I honestly don't know. Most crowns normally have an orb or such on top. Without access to Dubrillion’s historical records, I can't confirm what it is. My best guess is, maybe a pear?”

 

“We'll investigate that later. So, what else we got?” Prin began rummaging around, before pulling out a wicked-looking rapier. “Nice! A sword!”

 

“Be careful with that.” She took the sword and began examining it. “This is the Sword of Dubrillion. Created at the same time as the crown, it’s a vibrorapier with a special wave-blade, designed to enhance the vibrations and make it easier for an opponent’s blade to catch on yours.”

 

“Neat.” Over the next several minutes, Prin pulled out more tiaras, weapons and datacards, with Risha explaining their significance to her family and Dubrillion.

 

“Well, that about covers everything here in the reliquary.” She sealed it back up and placed it back within the wall cavity. As the false section tilted back up, Prin then walked over to his side of the closet, which didn’t have much in the way of clothing. He pulled a box from a shelf, and began digging around, before finding a wrist device and putting it on.

 

“What’s that for?” Risha asked. Prin sighed, before walking out and back into the main room. “Well-- back on Chandrila, there was this virus some years ago. It didn’t do much to most people, but it could cause nasty stuff to pregnant women. My mother got that sickness, and I was born with a birth defect. Basically, my brain is wired to take in a lot more sensory information that it should-- as if my brain is functioning on the level of a Jedi, but since I’m completely Force-blind, my senses can’t cope with that much information. During my childhood, I’d occasionally get sensory overload and my brain would shut down for a few seconds. And that could be bad depending on what I was doing.”

 

Risha looked shaken. “I had no idea, Prin--” “Hang on, I’m not done yet.”

 

“So, my parents signed me up for this experimental operation. I would get all these cyborg implants that could filter out all the unnecessary data and keep me from overloading. Most of them aren’t removable, but my optical implants are.” He then pressed a button on the wrist device, and his ocular implants seemed to extend outwards, allowing him to grab them. Prin then slowly tugged them until they fully removed, showing his hazel-colored irises. Prin then blinked a few times, letting his eyes adjust to the natural light.

 

“These are my true eyes, Risha. I wanted to wait to show you this, until I knew I could trust you. I wanted to see you without the constant filters and readouts-- I wanted to see you the way everybody else does.”

 

Risha then walked over and drew in for another kiss. They broke the kiss, and Prin just stared at her. “Sorry if I stare, but… you’re even more beautiful than yesterday.”

 

She just shook her head, grinning. “Of course I am. But I should let you know, now that I know those are removable, we’ll see about removing or at least covering up the rest of your cyborg additions.”

 

“Why? They make me look like a grizzled veteran of combat, like I’ve been patched up so many times this is what’s holding my face together.” Prin joked. Risha rolled her eyes. “Because if you’re going to pose for photos and portraits when we take back Dubrillion, the lack of mech-bits will make you look more dignified.”

 

“There’s nothing except you that can make me look dignified. Without you, I’m just an overgrown kid in way over his head.” With that, Prin left the room, stomach guiding him to the kitchen. Risha simply smiled. It was a rare smile, one of pure happiness. “So am I, Prin. So am I.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This may be the last chapter for a while since I'm now busy with learning to drive and applying to college. Hopefully it'll tide you guys over.
> 
> As per usual I filled the chapter with tons of references to things, see if you cna spot them all.
> 
> Risha's tiara is the Swedish Cut Steel Tiara. I chose it because it fit Risha's MO (practicality over luxury) and due to the fact that it has an interesting real world backstory (it was brought to Sweden in the 1800s then was forgotten; the current Queen of Sweden, Silvia, rediscovered it when looking through cabinets and stuff after becoming Queen). Here's more on it: http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.com/2011/08/tiara-thursday-cut-steel-tiara.html
> 
> The whole Coruscant Palladium thing is a reference to the famous UK variety show "Sunday Night at the London Palladium". The host, Tommy Maitland, is Mike Myers' fictional persona from the recent revival of The Gong Show, who was based on several famous UK comedians.
> 
> I originally planned a scene of them dancing at a upscale nightclub, but I cut that since it didn't really add anything.
> 
> Prin's condition is partially based off my own difficulties with sensory overload stemming from my Asperger's, and a rash of birth defects caused by viruses as of late.


End file.
